Best Laid Plans
by Selphie Leonhart
Summary: What would have happened if Rinoa had not made it to the SeeD graduation dance? How would it have affected the course of FF8?
1. Default Chapter Title

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Best Laid Plans

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By Selphie Leonhart

Rated : 15 for adult situations, language and violence 

All comments to : Selphie_Leonhart@day-dream.co.uk 

This story is set in an alternate universe to FF8, and asks the question – 'what would have happened had Rinoa not made it to the SeeD graduation ball? How would it have affected the course of FF8?' Read and find out…=)

Everything in is Ellone-type....um..*interference* 

The night of the SeeD inauguration dance had been planned for months. Exams were held only once every two years, which effectively gave the students only four shots at the exam, before they were excluded from Garden at the age of twenty-one if they failed to become a SeeD. Luckily for Zell, Squall and Selphie, they had all become SeeD's at their first attempt. Not many took the exam at fifteen, only those who were exceptionally intelligent. Quistis, for one. 

Squall held a certain ambivalence about becoming a SeeD. Sometimes he felt as if his whole life had been pre-determined, that he was just reading a script, written by others in the background. He had never actually made any decisions about what he was going to do with his life. He didn't think about the past often, but when he did, he wondered why he was in Garden in the first place, instead of going to a regular school, with a normal home and going into a normal job at the end of it. 

So he leant against the wall, staring out at the beautifully decorated ballroom, his eyes distracted by the silk and gauze covered bodies, drifting across the marble floor in intricate patterns, like butterflies in summer. He had no wish to join them however. They were aesthetically pleasing, but held no real attraction for him. They were just faceless dancers, there to celebrate the rise of an army of children. It was no surprise most of the children at Garden were orphans. What loving parent would condone sending their child off to become a trained killer? A mercenary no less, not exactly a noble profession. 

This dance...to Squall it only signified coming a step closer to his own death. Now he was a SeeD, he was just one of many who could be sent off to fight another man's war, sent to fight for people who had the right money. How the people who ran this Garden could agree with such a thing, accepting cold Gil in exchange for children, was beyond him. Like the other students, he too had heard tales of the hopeless causes SeeD had been dispatched to in the past, fighting whole armies, even taking on terrible fleets of monsters. When they were killed, Garden sent more, for the right price. Not one of the current SeeD's was over the age of twenty two. 

With these thoughts, Squall gazed up as a shooting star streaked across the sky, leaving a milky trail of stardust. He looked down again, his eyes settling on the dancers as they whirled, oblivious to the gift Hyne had just sent from the stars. Sighing, he put down his champagne glass and walked out onto the balcony. 

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Fujin stepped in front of the girl as she attempted to enter the ballroom. 

"SeeD. Only." she said in a slightly subdued voice. The raven haired girl pouted. 

"But I'm looking for someone," she said in a haughty voice, gazing at Fujin. The other girl stared back at her, a smirk on her face. 

"No." she stated simply. Rinoa hissed in annoyance. 

"I must see Seifer! Fujin, let me in. You know he'll be pleased to see me." she said, feeling something bordering on hatred for her old acquaintance. Fujin sighed. 

"No." she said, narrowing her eye at Rinoa. Rinoa almost stamped her foot in annoyance. Fujin smirked. 

"Go away, Rinoa. Seifer didn't make it to SeeD. He wont want to see you." she said quietly. Rinoa sighed impatiently, looking longingly at the closed door, hearing the familiar strains of Waltz For The Moon coming through from the ballroom. Smoothing her ivory dress, she turned and left the Garden, annoyed that Fujin had returned to her post just before Rinoa could sneak in. 

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Quistis watched him as he walked out onto the balcony. Her heart leapt at the sight of him, even after so many classes with him, he still took her breath away. And she had good cause to be shocked by his attractiveness, in his SeeD uniform he looked dashing to say the least. But Quistis wasn't looking at his body, it was his face, specifically his eyes which captured her attention. They were a soft blue-grey, unlike her own cornflower blue ones. They were eyes which betrayed his coldness, revealing an inner vulnerability which drew the motherly Quistis to him like a moth to an ice-cold flame. 

His eyes, although constantly reflecting indifference, often showed a hint of inner turmoil, as if Squall was really aching inside, but didn't want to talk about it. In fact, Quistis could never remember Squall actually instigating a conversation before. Certainly not with her. She often tried to speak with him, asked him what was on his mind, asked whether he ever wanted to talk with someone. At first, it was because she was concerned about his welfare. He was, after all, her student. Her duty was to care for him. But, not long after their first painfully one-sided conversation, she had begun to feel butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw him. He was mysterious, he seemed in pain. Quistis wanted to share it with him. 

But he had brushed her off. Not openly, but he refused to elaborate on answers, replying to her probing questions with trite retorts and single-syllable answers. Quistis had pretty much given up, only occasionally dropping a hint to him that she was still there, and she was still interested. That morning, when Squall had been injured by Seifer, Quistis had felt a cold shock when she had been called by Dr Kadowaki. She had been so worried, as she knew Seifer was unpredictable. She had actually laughed in relief when Dr Kadowaki had told her it would only leave a scar. She was grateful for the opportunity to be alone with him though. 

Quistis had actually dressed up for that night. Shedding her peach wool skirt and top for a more flattering floor length gown of blue, matching her eyes perfectly. It was strapless, hugging her chest and waist before flaring out slightly over her hips. It was embroidered with tiny white flowers, and had a very revealing slit up the side of one leg, reaching almost to her waist. Her golden hair was piled on her head in intricate coils, threaded with white flowers. Around her neck was the only piece of jewellery she owned, a silver chain with a small light blue sapphire on it. A teardrop shaped gem, forming a simple pendant. This she clutched anxiously as she took a few tentative steps out onto the balcony. Squall appeared to hear her coming, her high heeled shoes clicking on the stone floor of the balcony. He didn't turn, but she saw him tense. That gesture made her heart ache, he still wasn't comfortable in her presence. She leant on the balcony next to him, looking out to the rest of the Garden complex, shimmering blue-gold in the late night moonshine. 

"What?" he asked flatly. Quistis forced a smile to her face even though inside he was hurting her. 

"I just wanted to talk." she said in a low voice. Squall sighed. 

"You're my instructor." he said. It was almost a warning. Quistis ignored him. 

"Squall, I can't pretend anymore." she said, her voice trembling. Now she had his attention. Squall glanced to the side, to where she stood only a few feet away. To Quistis, the distance seemed miles. 

"I've tried so hard...." she whispered to no-one in particular. Squall frowned. 

"Instructor Trepe, are you alright?" he asked, but the question was rhetorical. She shrugged, stepping onto the stone railing, so she was a few inches off the ground. Squall began to feel alarmed. Was she going to jump? 

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked quickly. Quistis felt a flicker of joy run through her, he was actually asking her something. 

"You." she whispered, barely hoping to get a reply. He looked out towards Garden. The deceptively beautiful mercenary school. The place where children as young as seven killed, the place where Squall had seen several students breakdown because they couldn't cope with the violence, with the death they were brainwashed into believing was normal. Garden tried to keep it quiet, but not all the deaths in the Training Centre were down to lack of experience. Facing a T-Rexaur alone, unarmed, was suicide. And it happened quite a few times. Squall had never imagined his instructor to be suicidal though, or have any mental problems. She always seemed cheerful, radiant even, and was adored by so many students, male and female alike. 

"Instructor, come inside and talk." he offered. Quistis shut her eyes, the words ringing in her ears. 

"You really want to?" she asked him, looking away, not daring to see a contradiction in his eyes. He hesitated. 

"Yes. I don't want you to do anything stupid." he warned her. Quistis smiled tightly, and stepped down. 

"Squall, I guess...you know how I feel about you." she said gently. Squall felt a blush creeping to his cheeks. Swallowing hard, he straightened the chain on his uniform anxiously. 

"Er...I don't know what you mean," he said, colouring hotly. Quistis smiled to herself. Was it true he didn't realize she was in love with him? Squall looked down. 

"Squall...I..." the words stuck in her throat. All the times she had rehearsed this, all the scenarios she had played out in her head, nothing came close to the tension she felt now. The air around them almost crackled with it. 

"I...I...have feelings for you," she blurted out, her heart thudding. He surprised her by looking straight into her eyes, and taking a step closer. 

"Are you serious? Do you really mean this?" he asked her darkly. Feeling nervous, Quistis nodded. Squall sighed. 

"You're my instructor..." he murmured. Quistis felt angry tears force themselves to her eyes. 

"No! I'm not anymore!" she said fiercely. Squall looked at her in surprise. 

"Would I be saying this if I was still an instructor? They fired me, I don't care though, because it means I can finally tell you that I'm in love with you. I needed to tell you, Squall, and I hope you can understand," she choked out, turning and running back into the ballroom before he could react. 

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That night, Quistis laid on her hard, narrow bed staring at the ceiling. Her beautiful sky-blue gown was slung over the back of the only chair in the tiny room. She was dressed in her nightgown, a long white cotton dress which was sleeveless, and quite low cut. Her hair tumbling down around her shoulders in waving locks of gold, here and there a flower petal still clung to the strands. She clutched her tear-drop pendant, staring dry eyed at the cracks in her roof. Sighing, she reached out to switch off the lamp, but there was a soft knock on her door. Surprised, she stood up and opened it. 

"Squall?!" she whispered in astonishment. He put a finger to his lips and took a step inside the room. Glancing outside to make sure no-one was watching, Quistis shut the door. Squall was still in his uniform, and Quistis felt slightly self conscious in her revealing attire. He didn't appear to notice though, but gazed at her face. She was a little disturbed by how intense his expression was, and removing her gown from the chair, motioned for him to sit down. 

"Is something wrong?" she asked him softly. Squall shook his head. Quistis sat on the bed, her hands clasped in her lap. She gazed at Squall, uncertain as to why he was here. He appeared to feel the same 

"I had to see you," he said in a low voice. Quistis smiled tightly. 

"Why? I thought I offended you," she said, looking down. Squall shook his head. 

"No! Of course not. Instructor..." he began, feeling awkward calling her that. Quistis laughed. 

"My name is Quistis. You know that, Squall." she said with a low laugh. He shifted uncomfortably. 

"Quistis. I wanted to apologise. I don't know why I was so...well, anyway, what I wanted to tell you is that I would like to get to know you better. Now that we are both just SeeD's." he said, not looking at her. Quistis smiled. 

"Really? My confession of love didn't scare you?" she said lightly. Squall felt a blush creeping over him. He hated scenes like this. 

"Um, no," he said, feeling dumb. Quistis smiled. Squall looked up at her, seeing the tiny smile on her face as she looked down at the floor. Suddenly, he realised that he was acting like a child, flitting away from the real issue. 

"Quistis, I've wanted you since last year. This is something I've dreamed of." he blurted out. Quistis looked up sharply, staring into his aquamarine eyes. Squall took her hand, holding it between his. 

"Quistis...please. Try to understand how hard this is for me to say." he pleaded. Quistis looked shocked. 

"I never....why didn't you say something," she asked him, incredulously. Squall sighed. 

"And let you think I was just like those other 'Trepies'? You must get twenty proposals a day, I didn't want to be just another teen fan." he said. Quistis felt hot tears springing to her eyes. 

"Really? You mean that?" she whispered. Squall nodded. He leant towards her, pushing the golden strands of hair out of her eyes. She closed them, her lashes just touching her cheeks. She felt his breath on her mouth, before his lips brushed hers. She felt a shock of emotion as they touched, something she had dreamed of. 

Squall moved onto the bed beside her, supporting her chin with one hand, the other holding her hand, their fingers entwined. Quistis didn't want to break the moment, but she wondered what had caused this sudden change of heart. He was so cold, so merciless usually. What had made him into this sensitive guy suddenly? But she didn't care all that much right now, this situation was far too dreamlike. Sighing happily, she allowed him to pull her down onto the bed. 

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Rinoa walked away from Garden angrily. She was annoyed that she hadn't been able to see Seifer, or the headmaster like she had planned. Seifer had promised he'd let her in, as long as she kept quiet about it. He had told her that Fujin, Raijin and himself were the ones guarding the door to the ballroom, to prevent any cadets or non-SeeD members sneaking in as it was after hours. Just her luck, that it would be that bitch Fujin's shift as soon as she got there. Rinoa and Fujin had never got on. Rinoa suspected she was jealous, because she wanted Seifer to herself. Raijin had liked Rinoa, even though she mocked him behind his back when alone with Seifer. Raijin would have let her in, she would only have needed to smile at him. He was too stupid to think of the consequences. 

Seifer. She wished she had been able to see him that night. They had parted on friendly terms since last summer, she went off to lead her resistance group, he strived to become a SeeD. They knew they would meet again, it was destiny. Seifer had assured her of that. She believed him. He was always so sure of himself, always cocky, and confident. She loved him for that. She herself wasn't openly as arrogant as he was, she preferred to arrange things from behind the scenes, and wait for the right moment before making others do as she pleased. He just seemed to expect others to comply with his wishes, and mostly they did. 

Rinoa kicked a stone out of the way, shivering in the cold night air. She wished she was in there, among the dancers. It had sounded so fun. But instead here she was, trudging back to her room in the Balamb Hotel, walking along the lonely beach path. In the dark. Alone. Of course, she had her Shooting Star with her for protection, but in the dark the projectile weapon was of limited use as her vision was impaired. She stroked the razor sharp blade lovingly, it had been a gift from Seifer from last year. He had taught her to fight, and when she reached level 20, he rewarded her with this very expensive weapon. 

Even in the night gloom, the angel wing motif glowed in her hands. Ultimate weapons were special, they grew to know their owner, and your affinity with them increased the more battles you won. The glow, only visible to the owner of the weapon outside of battle, also increased the closer you came to the weapon. Rinoa's weapon only had a faint glow, living in Timber didn't call for many battles, but subterfuge and low key chicanery. These were the arts she practised in her resistance faction, which left little time for combat training. 

Eventually, Rinoa saw the glowing lights of Balamb Town in the distance. She groaned inwardly as she saw a group of drunk, very loud youths weaving their way towards her on the path. She clutched her Shooting Star closer to her, ensuring her arm-trigger was prepared. They passed her, calling out obscene comments, but Rinoa ignored them. Then one of them called her name. 

"Rinoa! Princess Heartilly!" called a familiar voice. Rinoa smiled, and turned to see a welcome sight. Seifer broke away from the others, and strolled over to her. She waited for him with a little smile on her face. 

"Celebrating failure, Seifer?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. Seifer grinned lazily. 

"I never wanted to be a SeeD anyway." he slurred. Rinoa sighed. 

"You're not going back to Garden in this state, are you? You'll be killed!" she said with a giggle. Seifer waved a hand. Rinoa noticed under his white trench coat a highly polished gunblade lurked. That was reassuring. 

"They wont touch me..." he said, glancing down the long road to Garden. Rinoa sighed, remembering her previous annoyance. 

"Your one-eyed friend refused to let me in to the inauguration dance. I had to walk back. Alone." she said, stressing the word 'friend'. Seifer frowned. 

"Fujin-chan wouldn't do that. She's too sweet..." he said with a smile. Rinoa suppressed a snort of outrage. 

"Sweet? 'Fujin-chan'? Seifer, you're drunk." she reminded him dryly. Seifer threw an arm around her bare shoulders, leaning on her heavily. Rinoa laughed as she stumbled under his weight. 

"Get off me! Seifer, come back to the hotel with me. You can't get caught pissed. You'll get expelled." she said, taking a step down the path. Seifer sighed. 

"But...if I don't turn up..." he protested. Rinoa shook herself free from him. 

"They wont miss you. Sneak in early tomorrow morning." she told him sternly. Seifer reluctantly agreed and followed her down the road, beginning to enjoy the thought of spending the night with Rinoa. 

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Zell was getting fed up of waiting. He had been requested to tell Squall about the new bedroom arrangements, but how was he meant to deliver the message when Squall had completely disappeared? The only place Zell hadn't checked was the Instructors quarters, and Squall definitely wouldn't be there. It wasn't off limits to students, but Squall hated all the instructors. Anyway, the only people who went there were Trepies, hoping to catch Instructor Trepe in her pajamas. Zell sniggered at the thought of Squall sitting there with the other geeks who adored her, waiting for the Instructor to appear like a vision from her tiny room. It rarely ever happened, if they were seen, the punishment was severe. The only legitimate reason for being there was a medical emergency. 

Zell paced up and down, wishing his SeeD uniform was a little looser. Better cut down on the hotdogs, he thought with a grimace. Shouldn't be hard, there were hardly any left by the time he woke up anyway. He couldn't help it if he was a heavy sleeper, anyway, it was unnatural to wake at seven in the morning like Squall and Selphie did. Zell shuddered at the thought. Especially since lessons didn't begin until nine thirty, it was abnormal. 

"Where the hell is he?!" muttered Zell under his breath, scanning the corridor for any sign of the slightly younger student. There was no sign of him. Zell gave up. "Fine. Sleep in the corridor for all I care," he muttered to no-one in particular, turning and walking to his own new, single room. 

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That morning, Quistis was woken by the sunshine streaming in through the small window in her room. Smiling to herself, she turned and put her arm out, expecting to feel the warmth of Squall's body next to her. Instead, her hand met with an empty space. Quistis opened her eyes, and looking to her side, saw he wasn't there. The smile left her face. Sitting up in bed, she let her mind drift back to last night, when her dreams had come true, when she had finally been with Squall. Now, in the cold light of day, a horrible sinking feeling was creeping over her. He had left her. 

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Squall was alone in the showers, as it was early morning. He let the hot water rain down on him, plastering his long hair to his face. He was grateful for the relative silence here, and the fact that *she* wouldn't come in here. He didn't feel like having the inevitable confrontation so early in the morning. Well, maybe she wouldn't care. He knew she was only trying to get him into bed with all that crap about her being in love with him, so maybe he just gave her what she wanted. 

Turning off the faucet, Squall wrapped the towel around his waist and walked over to the lockers, where he had left his clothes. Thoughts of last night flitted through his mind, and he smirked. She had been good, the virginal instructor she made herself out to be was easily forgotten once she wanted something. Not that he had objected. 

Squall shoved his shower stuff in his locker and got dressed rapidly. If he was lucky, he could get half an hour in at the training centre before the cafeteria opened. Throwing his wet towel in the laundry basket, he walked out of the locker room, shaking his damp hair out of his eyes. 

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Selphie sat on the chair in Squall's room, absently twirling round and round in boredom as she waited for her classmate to return. As she spun around, she noticed how neat his room was. His bed hardly looked as if it had been slept in at all, and his desk was spotless. Selphie stopped spinning as she noticed an interesting black leather case. Shaking her head to clear it of dizziness, she stood up and took a few steps towards the small desk which the leather case was laying on. It was big, almost as tall as she was. Selphie touched the cold metal motif with her index finger, her vivid green eyes wide with awe. 

"Cool!" she breathed as she flipped open the case, seeing the three foot long weapon inside. The highly polished steel of the gunblade caught the light coming through the window, highlighting the lion etching on it. Longingly, she stroked the leather handle, her eyes glowing in rapture. Tentatively, she wrapped her slender fingers around the handle, lifting it a few inches. She was surprised at how heavy it was. Giggling slightly, she grasped it with both hands, and was about to lift it out of the box completely when someone grabbed it out of her hands, whipping the blade away from her and effortlessly holding it with one hand. Selphie bit her lip, squinting slightly as she looked up at Squall. 

"Sorry," she said apologetically. Then she smiled warmly. "Cool gunblade! What's it like to fight with? I always wanted to use a katana, but my instructor wouldn't let me. I love swords though, they're really cool." she chattered, oblivious to how he coldly regarded her. Squall replaced the gunblade in the box, shutting it and pointedly putting a small padlock on it. Selphie shut up. She shifted from foot to foot anxiously, not sure whether she had his attention or not. 

"Um, anyway, I had to tell you about our new mission! We've been hired as bodyguards, by the president of Deling City! Isn't that cool! We're going to meet the President of Galbadia! It's gonna be me, and you, and Zell, and Instructor Trepe, since this is our first real mission and all, so we've gotta try and impress her to boost our SeeD levels and...." 

"Instructor Trepe? When did you hear that?" he asked sharply. Selphie paused, twirling a lock of her bouncy hair between two fingers. 

"Um, this morning. I went to the library, and one of the Garden Masters told me to go to the Headmasters Office, so I did, and he told me there was an important mission, and..." 

"When do we have our briefing?" he asked her, beginning to get fed up of the girl's chattering. She sighed, thinking how cute he would be if he didn't frown so much. The thought made her giggle, and he looked at her oddly. She waved her hand. 

"Front gate, 9:30." she said, answering succinctly for once. He nodded in gratitude, and pushed open the door for her. Selphie looked at him blankly, then realised what he was hinting. 

"Oh, hey, you wanna go to the Training Centre? I thought we could, you know, get used to each other's fighting styles, so we'd be better in battle." she suggested brightly. Squall looked at her, unsmiling. 

"I don't train with others." he said flatly. Selphie sighed. 

"Whatever. Well, I'll see you later then." she said, waving at him as she walked out of the room. Squall shut the door behind her. 

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Quistis yelled in rage as she attacked the Grat, her whip cracking loudly the small monster fell easily under the force of her chain whip. Angrily, she turned to the other, bringing the whip down hard on it's already withering form. She was furious, and this was the only possible release. The stood there as the two died, breathing hard, feeling a dull ache in her stomach from the adrenaline rush. She sat against a flat rock, brushing away the spores the plant-monsters left on her clothing. Breathing deeply, she felt her anger begin to subside at last. 

She hadn't allowed herself to feel sad after she realised what had happened, instead it was easier to just give into the hot anger which swept over her. She felt humiliated, naive, and incredibly stupid. Folding her arms tightly across her chest, she stood up and walked back towards the entrance, beginning to feel a little more normal. She was still angry, but not as intensely as before. She refused to shed any tears for him, that would only make her feel worse, it would be like admitting that he had hurt her, and there was no way she was ever going to show emotion in front of Squall Leonhart again. 

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Squall glanced away as he saw Selphie waving excitedly at him. She looked intensely happy, all the time, which was very strange to him. Maybe the girl's got some kind of mental condition, he thought in all seriousness. There was no other explanation why such a carefree girl would be a SeeD. Surely she knew she could die at any time. Squall took his place by her side, and awaited the others. Meanwhile, Selphie chattered to him light-heartedly, annoying him very much. But he didn't say anything to stem the flow of trivia from the girl, instead trying his best to ignore her. 

Eventually, another girl appeared. Squall groaned inwardly. He knew this encounter would be sooner rather than later, but he didn't want any heart-rending pleas from his former instructor about how he had broken her heart. To his relief, and surprise, she stood next to him stiffly, not saying a word. He glanced at her, but she appeared to be fine, not looking upset in the least. He turned his attention to Selphie, pretending to be interested in what she was saying, but remaining silent. At length, Cid turned up with two Garden Masters. Closely following was Zell Dincht, running as fast as he could behind the Garden masters. He took his place on the other side of Quistis. 

"SeeD's. This mission should be a piece of cake for you. Protecting the President of Galbadia from any terrorists as he makes his appearance in Deling City. Your job is to remain with then President at all times, ensuring his safety and neutralizing any threat. You will be met at Deling City station by an aide of the President. As you will be in SeeD uniform, he will approach you, and give you further instructions." Cid said. The four SeeD's saluted him, and nodding, he turned away. 

"Squall Leonhart will be your leader. Quistis Trepe will be second in command. Dismissed." he said, walking away. Squall raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised that he hadn't appointed Quistis leader. After all, she was the most experienced SeeD. He turned to the others, irritated that he had been giving a position where he actually had to be responsible. 

"Ok. We'll go to Balamb Town to catch a train to Deling City. My party will be Selphie and...Quistis." he said, thinking rapidly. He couldn't leave Quistis out, she was obviously the best fighter out of all of all of them, and it would look strange if he didn't choose her. Selphie appeared delighted at the arrangement. 

"Okie! Let's go!" she yelled, clapping her hands. Squall handed her the Ifrit GF orb, keeping Quezacotle and handing Shiva to Quistis. She accepted the icy globe wordlessly, not meeting his eyes. Zell sulked behind them as they began the walk to Balamb Town. 

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Rinoa smiled as she came out of the small bathroom in the hotel room, seeing Seifer sitting up on the bed, the sheets rumpled around his waist. He grinned at her, them frowned, rubbing his head. She giggled and went over to him, sitting next to him on the bed. 

"Oh, poor baby has a hangover," she said with a warm smile. Seifer smirked and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her fully onto the bed and beside him. Rinoa smiled at him, resting her head against his shoulder. 

"You should get back to Garden unless you want to get noticed." she said reluctantly. Seifer touched her cheek, putting his arm around her. 

"I know. But I don't want to. I'd much rather stay here with you." he said, closing his eyes. Rinoa trailed her hand down his naked chest, making him smile. 

"Would you now," she said softly, a playful smile on her face. Suddenly, she sat up, freeing herself from his loose embrace. 

"Get dressed. I don't want to have to explain to Fujin why her idol is suspended from Garden. She'd kill me." Rinoa said, turning away from him. Seifer frowned. 

"Fujin?" he asked. Rinoa laughed quietly. He obviously didn't remember much from last night. 

"Never mind." she said, throwing him his shirt over his shoulder. Reluctantly, Seifer began to get dressed. 

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On arrival in Deling, Quistis walked close to Selphie, delighting the younger girl by actually engaging her in conversation. Squall meanwhile, attempted to ignore Zell, who was chattering meaninglessly about something which was of no interest to Squall. He was annoyed, because for some reason he could not stop thinking of Quistis, and felt something close to guilt, an emotion foreign to his granite heart. Zell was beginning to seriously get on his nerves. 

It was dark by now, and the streets were full of young people, their age, going up town. They eyed the SeeD's with wonder, several girls giggling as they passed. Even if they weren't in uniform, the sight of their weapons would be enough to suggest they were no ordinary teenagers. But in the intricate dark blue and black SeeD uniforms, they looked like high-ranking soldiers. Professionals. Squall re-read the instructions. He scanned the platform, searching for any sign that the presidential aide was waiting for them. At length, a small woman wearing a forest green suit approached them. 

"Squall Leonhart?" she said in a clear voice. Squall nodded. She didn't smile, but handed him a formal looking envelope. 

"Here are your instructions. Please follow me, there is a car waiting for you." she said curtly, turning and walking away towards the exit. Squall and the others followed her. Outside, a black limousine was ready. Squall raised an eyebrow. He knew SeeD were held in high regard, but this? Zell seemed shocked too. 

"Whoa! They really lay it all on for SeeD!" he cried. Squall couldn't help thinking that whenever he opened his mouth, he completely ruined the sophisticated image the SeeD uniform gave him. If he shut up, then maybe people would take him seriously. The woman opened the car door, and stood to the side while the SeeD's entered. Once inside, the car began to slowly drive off. 

"We appreciate Garden's help. We are afraid our soldiers aren't....efficient enough for such a delicate task." she said unsmiling. Squall frowned. 

"Why not? What's so special about this task that ordinary Galbadians couldn't do it?" he asked suspiciously. The woman glared at him, but in the gloom of the car's interior her annoyance was masked. 

"SeeD are considered more efficient for the guarding of such an important person. Our soldiers haven't had the kind of training you have had, they don't have the ability to identify potential threats like you do." she said shortly. Squall nodded, and remained silent. Quistis stared at him, slightly irritated. Selphie yawned. 

"I am so tired. will we be allowed to rest before meeting the President?" she asked. The woman nodded. 

"Yes. We have provided a room for you. Your services will not be required until tomorrow morning." she said. Quistis glanced at her watch. It was almost midnight, they had been travelling all day. Momentarily, thoughts of what she had been doing this time last night flitted through her mind, but she dismissed then immediately. She couldn't allow herself to think like that, or she wouldn't be able to control herself. 

*************************************************************************** 

Selphie threw herself onto the middle bed in the room, sighing contentedly. Squall watched her and suppressing a yawn, took the bed next to her, dumping his bag and sheath on the covers. Quistis folded her arms and stood in the doorway. 

"You'd have thought they'd have given us two rooms." she said frostily. Squall ignored her, but Selphie murmured a reply. 

"Maybe they figured since we're only teenagers we wouldn't mind." she said lightly. Quistis shrugged and walked to the other side of the room, taking the bed by the window, on the other side of Selphie. 

"We should all get some rest. Tomorrow is our first chance to prove that we aren't just kids, but SeeD's." he said, taking off his SeeD jacket. Selphie jumped up, and walked to the huge mirror which sat on the desk. 

"SeeD's...this is so cool!" she sighed happily. She frowned as she saw Quistis looking at Squall. Turning around quickly, she saw Quistis look down rapidly. Selphie smiled. 

"What's going on?" she said brightly. Quistis looked up innocently. Squall didn't react. Zell, who was having an intense air-battle looked at her. 

"What's up, Selph?" he asked her. Selphie smiled at Quistis. 

"Nothing," she said with a smirk, assuming the reason Quistis was blushing was because she had a crush on Squall. Selphie wouldn't say anything though, she wasn't completely tactless. She laid down on her bed, shutting her eyes. Beside her, Squall was already resting, although she could tell by his slightly irregular breathing that he wasn't asleep. Slowly, Selphie drifted off to sleep. 

*************************************************************************** 

It was dark in the room, but Squall could almost feel the daggers Quistis' eyes were shooting at him. He knew she wasn't asleep, and it disturbed him. Sighing, he rolled over. On his other side was Zell, who was snoring loudly. Selphie was curled up in a little ball, and he couldn't see Quistis as she was on the other side of Selphie. Not able to bear it anymore, he sat up in bed, pushing the thin covers off his almost fully-clothed body and pulling his leather jacket on, walked to the door. 

"Practice this, do you?" Quistis hissed from the other side of the room. Squall froze, shutting his eyes briefly. Her words stung. He paused with his outstretched hand on the door handle and turned to see her standing, illuminated by the glow from the streetlamp outside the window. She took a step towards him, silently. He was amazed at how she was able to move in complete silence, like a cat. At the moment, he felt like a trapped mouse. 

"De ja vu from last night perhaps?" she whispered, her voice dripping with venom. Squall breathed out, parting his lips, unsure of what to say. She didn't give him the chance to retort. 

"What was I? Just an easy lay? Maybe you should have left some money by the bed," she spat at him. Squall turned to the door. No way was he going to listen to this. 

"This isn't the place to discuss this, Quistis." he said quietly. She stared at him, her eyes piercing even in the gloom. She let out a low laugh. 

"Where is the place? Garden? When we were alone on the train? Last night after you decided to leave with no explanation?" she said, her voice raised in anger. He sighed, opening the door. 

"Come with me." he said calmly. Furious, she walked through the open door. Squall shut it behind her. Silently, they walked to the small briefing rom provided for them. Squall unlocked it and switched on the light. Quistis stepped into the room, shaking her loose hair from her shoulders, her crystalline eyes flashing dangerously. Squall followed her, walking to the window. 

"So? Why did you leave?" she said, then laughed bitterly. "In fact, why did you come after me in the first place?" she asked. Squall frowned. 

"I...meant what I said about....liking you." he said awkwardly. 

"You said you loved me." she said hardly. Squall ran a hand through his hair, trying to make the tousled strands look a little normal. Quistis just glared at him. 

"I know. Quistis, look, I didn't mean to hurt you. If I had stayed...things would have got too complicated. I had to leave. What would people think if I was seen coming out of your room first thing in the morning?" he asked her. Quistis sighed in despair. 

"You could have woken me up! Explained, anything! Not just ignored me the next time we met." she said angrily. Squall looked down. 

"I'm sorry." he said. Quistis looked away. 

"I know you don't mean that. You made me feel...used, naive. I felt awful, Squall, when I woke up alone. Whatever I feel about you now, then I truly loved you. You've hurt me. Was it worth it? Did it make you feel good, Squall? Or was I just some slut you thought you'd be able to get into bed without paying? You make me sick." she said, giving him a look of contempt. Squall didn't know what to say. Quistis shook her head sadly. 

"I was wrong to tell you what I did that night. You aren't mature enough to understand what I feel. What I felt. Just forget it Squall." she said, and walked from the room. Squall watched her leave, feeling as if he had made a big mistake. 

*************************************************************************** 

Rinoa shut her eyes as Seifer kissed her roughly, his lips almost bruising hers. He was aggressive about everything, and even tender moments like goodbye and even goodnights had to be sealed with a reminder of his masculinity, and dominance. Rinoa didn't complain though, he was, after all, a very useful friend to have. He pulled away finally, her lips buzzing from the intensity of the kiss. He cupped her cheek with one hand, grinning, then turned away from her, walking confidently into the Garden. Rinoa watched him leave, a slight smile on her face. She hoisted herself up onto the wall she was leaning against, sitting with her legs swinging below her. She took out her cell phone and dialled a number. She smiled sweetly at a passing male cadet, who eyed her approvingly. She pressed her lips together, thinking of Seifer as the other person answered the phone. 

"Zone? Are you still in Timber?" she asked. Zone answered the affirmative and Rinoa smiled. 

"Good. I'll be there in a couple of hours. Wait for me, okay? I know we weren't able to get SeeD support, but I know we'll do fine by ourselves." she said. Zone said something more, and laughing, Rinoa put her phone away. Sighing, she squinted against the sunshine and walked back to the waiting taxi. Somehow she knew her plans were all going to work out. 

*************************************************************************** 

"I had such a weird dream last night," Selphie said with a yawn, brushing her hair as she sat on the side of her bed. Quistis, who had only just woken up, frowned and reluctantly pushed aside the covers. 

"Really?" she said sleepily. Selphie nodded, her hair bouncing. 

"Uh huh. I dreamt I was this man called Kiros, and it was really weird...there was this really hot guy called Laguna, and we were soldiers..." she began. Quistis stared at her. 

"Was there someone called Ward in your dream?" she asked curiously. Selphie nodded. 

"Hey! How did you know? Did I talk in my sleep?" she asked, her green eyes huge. Quistis shook her head. 

"No. I heard Zell yelling out to Squall about the weird dream he had. Strange." she said, stretching. Selphie looked thoughtful. She turned to Squall. 

"Hey! Squall! Did you have a dream last night?" she asked. Squall sighed slightly. 

"Yes." he answered tritely. Selphie grinned at him. 

"Well, tell me what you dreamt about! Unless it's private, of course..." she said with a giggle. Squall shot her a menacing look. 

"I dreamt I was a moron." he said in a low voice. Selphie laughed. 

"Well, that's a new one. Was he called Ward, or Laguna, or Kiros?" she asked seriously. Squall frowned. 

"You too? Zell had the same dream." he said, looking concerned. Quistis began to get fed up. 

"Does it matter? We have a job to do, lets go," she said, collecting her whip from the side, checking it for any damage before winding it around her waist. Squall and Selphie also stood up, and followed their former instructor out of the room. Zell was waiting for them outside. 

The four walked down the corridor, to the room they had been told to meet in. There was the aide they had met the previous night, and she looked in a slightly better mood this morning. 

"Sleep well?" she asked as they filed into the room. Squall nodded and the others murmured replies. She nodded and motioned for them to sit down. They did, and she rolled out a map. 

"The President is currently in Deling City. He is intending to travel to Timber later this afternoon to make a television broadcast." she said. Selphie spoke up. 

"Hey, um, isn't that impossible? I mean, radio and TV signals haven't been received in more than 17 years," she said doubtfully. The woman gazed at her. 

"Well, they are now. Like I said, the President is travelling to Timber to make this TV broadcast. You will escort him, to protect the president from the numerous resistance groups in Timber, which as you know is under martial law. You will meet the President shortly. This task is simple, but you will need to be on the lookout for any signs of danger, for example bombs or traps." she said. Squall nodded. 

"I'll take you to your carriage on the presidential train now. Await there for further orders." she said. 

*************************************************************************** 

Rinoa jumped across the train carriage to the other side. "Urgh!" cried Zone behind her. Rinoa laughed, turning her head, her long raven hair whipping around her face. 

"Don't be such a wimp!" she yelled. Zone looked terrified, but eventually jumped across, where he clung to Rinoa for all he was worth. She shook him off angrily. 

"Get off me!" Where's Watts?" she asked, looking behind her. Zone clung to the roof of the train. 

"Behind...urgh...me," he said, looking very sick. Rinoa sighed in annoyance, and leapt onto the roof of the other carriage with no effort whatsoever. Zone frowned at her agility, knowing it was much harder than it looked. She crouched down on the roof, waiting for the two men to join her. Eventually they did. 

"Rinoa! I don't think this is going to work!" yelled Watts. She scowled. 

"Of course it is! You can't back out now!" she yelled back at him, her black eyes flashing dangerously. Watts looked away. Rinoa handed him a rope she had secured to the top of the train. 

"Here. Climb down and enter the codes." she said to him. Turning her face to Zone, she gave him his orders. 

"Watch out for the guards. Tell us if they come here." she said. Zone smiled weakly and settled down to his task. Watts gingerly tugged on the rope, but a warning look from Rinoa prevented him from protesting as she 'helped' (pushed) him down the side of the train. She shouted the codes down to him, and he entered them with trembling fingers. Finally he was done, and he jumped up just before the train uncoupled from the other carriages. Rinoa laughed joyously as she saw her plan sliding into place. Smiling happily, she jumped down the hatch of the presidential car, and with Watts and Zone beside her confronted President Deling. 

"Do not put up a fight. You are in the hands of the Timber Owls. We just want to ask you some questions, there is no need for violence." Rinoa said calmly, but trembling with excitement. The President made a low noise, which sounded something like a growl, but Rinoa realised it was a laugh. 

"Foolish child," he hissed. Rinoa frowned, the hard expression on her face going to a more uncertain one. She took a step back as the President stood, noticing that there was something terribly wrong here. She glanced quickly to Watts and Zone who were both holding their weapons, Watts a staff, Zone a gun. The President laughed again. 

"I am NOT Vinzer Deling..." he cackled. Rinoa gasped, stumbling backwards as she tripped over the carpet. The figure loomed over her. 

"Pesky little resistance group..." he laughed, preparing to strike Rinoa. Before he could, Zone shot his hand. The creature screamed in pain, blood and flesh shooting from the out-stretched limb. Rinoa's eyes were open wide in shock, and she scrambled to her feet, throwing a Phoenix Down on the thing. It stopped screaming, and began to shake slowly, before fading into nothingness. Zone and Watts stared at her. She smiled, her eyes wild with the adrenaline rush. 

"It was already dead! Didn't you notice?! I managed to get rid of it with one shot!" she said in delight, stepping away from the corpse. Then her expression turned dark. 

"We were tricked." she said darkly. Watts gulped. 

"Princess..." he started, but Rinoa gave him a look of contempt. 

"Useless fool. What are we, a group of amateurs? Damn Fujin..." she muttered, folding her arms across her chest. Watts and Zone looked at each other, knowing that Rinoa was in a dangerous mood. 

*************************************************************************** 

"Wait here. The broadcast should begin soon. The President is already inside." the woman said, ushering them inside the TV tower. Squall led his SeeD's inside, and they waited formally in a straight line, silently preparing for their employer to appear. The train journey had been uneventful, with the apparent success of the campaign of disinformation the President's followers had spread. Squall was fed up. If all SeeD missions were to be this boring, he doubted this was what he really wanted from life. And besides, he had really messed up. He couldn't rid himself of the nagging guilt he felt over Quistis. His former instructor had been giving him the cold shoulder ever since the graduation night, and although he knew he deserved it, he wished he hadn't done what he did. 

That kind of thing went on all the time in SeeD. Students...instructors. It was common place. The fact that the students and instructors were mostly the same age made it easy for relationships to start, but they were of course forbidden. Instructors were not allowed to have relationships with pupils, no matter how small the age difference. With Quistis, the difference was barely months. She was eighteen, he was seventeen. For a year, they had even been in the same class, before she became an instructor. 

One night stands were all the relationships could possibly be. If they got found out...it meant expulsion for the student, and severe discipline for the instructor. So the time they spent together was short, usually just hours spent in the wrong dormitory, or visits to the secret area in the training centre. Squall had really been quite sensible, if he hadn't left during the night, they would surely have been found out. Quistis too knew this, but she was hurt. Sighing inwardly, he promised to resolve this as soon as he could. This atmosphere couldn't carry on, especially since they were working together. 

Squall straightened up as the President entered the room, two Galbadian soldiers by his side. The SeeD's bowed to him, but didn't salute. That was reserved only for SeeD officials. The President nodded, and took his place on the small dais in front of the microphone and cameras. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and instantly the SeeD's drew their weapons. Squall stepped in front of the President, pushing him down from the dais as a woman entered the room, shoving a Galbadian soldier out of the way, blood flying from his slit throat. She was dark haired, and had a wild look in her eye as she faced the SeeDs. Squall stared at her, levelling his gunblade in an attack position. She was followed by about four or five men, all with weapons. 

"Give us the President!" Rinoa said calmly. She appeared out of breath, but excited. Squall regarded her coolly. 

"We are SeeD's, and are protecting the President." he said. Rinoa frowned, and hesitated. Something about him stirred her, and made her reluctant to fight him. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the SeeD, feeling strange emotions surging in her chest. He frowned at her, and she wondered if he was feeling the same. Shaking her head, she focussed on the task at hand. She must fight the SeeD's. 

Rinoa released the trigger on her Shooting Star, sending the missile in a deadly arch towards Squall's throat. He brought his gunblade up, and the steel hit against the platinum of her missile, causing a shower of sparks. Rinoa narrowed her eyes, she had never met her equal in battle since Seifer, and he had trained her so well even he struggled against her. But this mysterious boy....he was able to stop her attacks. Rinoa caught the blade as it deflected back to her off his gunblade, snatching the weapon effortlessly out of the air. Shutting her eyes, she cast magic, sending Holy over towards the SeeD's. She smiled as all but two of then fell unconscious, Squall and Quistis. 

Quistis stepped forward, swinging her whip above her head twice before bringing it sharply down on Rinoa's shoulder with a crack. Rinoa cast Cure on herself, the blue light numbing the pain. A flower of blood blossomed on her lip, dripping onto her pale skin where she bit her lip to stop herself screaming in agony. Furious, she sent her weapon at lightning speed towards Quistis' stomach, slashing the Instructor's midriff open. Quistis doubled up in pain. Squall glanced at her, and cast Cura on her, helping her to her feet. Rinoa frowned, and took the opportunity to attack him while he attended to her. She slashed through his sleeve, causing him to jerk upwards in pain. Then she saw the fury in his eyes as he charged towards her, gunblade raised. 

He slashed her once, across the chest, but it was enough. Rinoa fell, her legs collapsing under her, blood pouring from the diagonal cut, almost vertically down the middle of her chest. Her eyes flickered shut, but before they did, she saw the slightly confused gaze of Squall on her, his stone blue eyes misted with something akin to recognition. 

Seeing their leader fall, the others in the Timber Owls ran away, chased by the Galbadian soldiers. Rinoa lay on the floor, in a pool of her own blood, her life ebbing away. Squall frowned as he looked at her. He felt a desperation inside him, she was dying, but that was right, because she had attacked, what was he meant to do? 

it wasn't meant to be this way... 

"What?" said Squall, turning distractedly to Quistis. She looked blank, pressing a wad of tissues to her stomach. Squall turned back to Rinoa. Suddenly, he felt compelled to save her. 

"Full Life," he whispered, lifting his hand to his forehead, pushing his palm outwards to her. Quistis grabbed his arm. 

"What are you doing?" she hissed at him. Squall ignored her. Rinoa sat up, her light blue gown drenched in blood. She gazed at Squall, silently taking him in. He stared into her onyx eyes, but they were too dark to read. Squall knelt beside her, ignoring the SeeD's behind him. 

"Who are you?" he whispered. She stared back at him. Just then, the President re-entered. Rinoa got to her feet. Squall stood, and frowned as he saw the President. The older man's eyes were wide with shock, and Squall recognised the Hyperion pressed against his throat. 

"Seifer." he said darkly. 

End Of Part One 


	2. Default Chapter Title

Best Laid Plans 

Part Two   
  


By Selphie Leonhart   
  


Argh! I'm sorry for making you all wait...but as I said before, I don't plan my fanfics. I honestly had no idea what I was gonna write next! Well, I think I've come up with a passable plotline now...enjoy....:)   
  


*** 

"Seifer..." he said darkly. His rival grinned, pressing the ebony-black edge of the Hyperion closer to the President's throat. He glanced down at Rinoa, who was standing next to Squall, a look of confusion on her face. 

"Rinoa!" he yelled. She appeared to snap out of the trance she was in, and stumbled over towards Seifer. Squall watched, a slight frown creasing his brow. Rinoa gazed back at him dumbly. They were separated by a pool of blood, *her* blood, and the fallen Galbadian soldiers. Squall felt a sharp nudge, and saw Quistis staring at him. 

"Squall! Do something!" She hissed. Squall looked at Seifer. 

"Release the President, Seifer. You've got nowhere to run to." He said calmly. Seifer laughed. 

"If I kill him, it will solve a lot of problems for my girl here." He smirked. Squall's gaze flickered to Rinoa. She was his girlfriend? Somehow....that didn't seem right. But he didn't have time to contemplate his next move as a strange buzzing filled the room. Quistis, Selphie and Zell fell to their knees, clutching their heads. Squall felt himself being forced to his knees, and although he wasn't in agony like the others, he was unable to rise. Instead, he looked up, staring over to where Seifer, Rinoa and the President were standing. Seifer appeared to be staring open-mouthed at the wall to the side of Squall. 

When Squall followed his gaze, he got the shock of his life. The wall appeared to be...rippling. Then, a woman stepped through. Squall blinked, surely this couldn't be happening? But it was, and Seifer dropped his gunblade from the President's throat, and Squall saw him bow to this strange woman. Her presence carried with it a sense of horror and fear, but at the same time a familiarity that was even more disturbing. Squall watched as Seifer followed the woman behind a screen, obscuring them from view. Squall now saw Rinoa, who throughout this had been standing perfectly still, swaying as if she was hypnotised. With massive effort, he fought off the spell to get to his feet, and reached her side just in time to catch her as she fell dangerously close to the razor blade of Seifer's Hyperion. 

Squall couldn't tear his eyes off her as she lay in his arms, her beautiful eyes shut, her raven hair falling over his arm like liquid silk. She was light, and it was no effort to lift her, to carry her over to a safer place. He laid her on a couch which had been provided for the President, and stepped back, turning to the others. The President was standing, looking on in slight surprise, but he didn't seem concerned. Squall didn't have time to question him however, he was too worried about his team-mates, who were all unconscious. 

"Quistis," he said, kneeling beside the tall girl. Her eyes flickered briefly, and she made an effort to rise, shaking off the enchantment. Squall slipped an arm around her, helping her into a sitting position. She stared at him, unspeaking. He frowned. 

"Quistis? Are you all right?" he asked, trying to inject some feeling into his words. He did mean it, but it was hard to stop himself sounding cold. She shut her eyes briefly, as if she was in pain, and nodded. 

"I'm fine," she said quietly, getting to her feet. Squall rose as she did, and whilst she attended to Selphie and Zell, he faced the President. 

"Who was that woman?" Squall asked coldly. The President smiled. 

"Beautiful, isn't she? That is Galbadia's new ambassador. Sorceress Edea." He said darkly. Squall frowned. The Galbadian government, appointing a Sorceress as their ambassador? There was something terribly wrong with this. Squall had been taught about Sorceresses in Garden, and ever since the Great Hyne, Sorceresses were feared, respected women. But the last of them had disappeared during the Sorceress Wars, around the time of his birth. Was she one of these great witches?   
  


He didn't have time to further question the President before he began to address the SeeD's. 

"Well, that was a brilliant job you all just did as my bodyguards." He said sarcastically. Squall bit his lip to stop himself retaliating. Instead, he gazed at the President with a stony expression, remaining silent. Quistis walked to his side, touching his arm lightly. He almost drew away from the contact, it was the first time she had voluntarily come close to him since... 

He looked towards her. 

"The others are fine. The magic isn't long lasting. What are we to do with her?" she asked softly, so only he could hear her. Squall shut his eyes briefly. 

"She...the President must decide. She isn't in a fit state to fight, she isn't a threat." He said. The President appeared to hear him. 

"This little bitch...attacking me! Take her away!" he said, addressing the two guards who had just entered the room. They lifted Rinoa, and carried her from the room. Squall frowned as they took her, but said nothing. The President turned back to the SeeD's. 

"Go, now. I've got no further need for you." He said rudely. Squall narrowed his eyes. 

"Fine." He said tritely, and turned. Quistis nodded to the President, and left the room, followed by Selphie and Zell, who were unsteady on their feet, feeling the effects of the heavy magic placed on them. Quistis caught up to Squall, and walked by his side. 

"Wait!" called the President. Squall turned. The President narrowed his eyes. 

"Who was that boy who attacked me? You knew his name." The President said. Squall shrugged, knowing how delicate this situation was. Zell, however, didn't seem to realise. 

"Seifer? He isn't even a SeeD. He's crazy, he should still be in the discipline room at Garde..." 

"Zell...no!" yelled Quistis. Zell frowned, and then realisation dawned on him as the President smirked. 

"No! I didn't mean..." he stammered. The President laughed. 

"Garden? That explains why you didn't defend me...he was one of your own. Treachery...I should have expected that from mercenaries...you are pathetic." He said. Squall drew his gunblade as guards began to fill the room. The President seemed livid. 

"Take them!" he cried. It was useless to resist, there were simply too many guards. Squall let his gunblade drop to the floor with a clang muffled by the shouts and cries from his friends as the soldiers roughly tied their hands behind their backs and pushed them to their knees. Squall fell forward, his hair falling over his eyes as he dropped to his knees. He let his head hang, not wishing to meet the jeering eyes of the Galbadian soldiers. Quistis was pushed next to him, her head banging against his shoulder. He turned his face to her, her blue eyes were shut for the same reason he was hiding his. He heard indignant cries from Selphie and Zell, as they too were subjected to the same rough treatment. 

But before the soldiers could take them away, the same buzzing filled the air which had a few minutes ago. The soldiers dropped to the floor, screaming, clutching their heads. But this time, the buzzing didn't affect Squall and his friends, instead energised them, giving them the strength to get to their feet. Squall glanced round quickly, searching for any sign of the Sorceress, but there was none. No wishing to wait for her to reappear, he ordered his SeeD's to withdraw, and as rapidly as they could, the mercenaries fled the building.   
  


***************************************************************************   
  


Rinoa felt herself being thrown onto a hard surface. She opened her eyes, and heard a door slam. She looked around her, and realised she was in a bare cell. She felt her bottom lip tremble, and a hot anger rise inside her. Furiously, she checked for her weapon, but it had been taken from her. "Of course," she said caustically, her features contorted in anger. She put her hand in her pocket, relieved that her cell phone was still there. She dialled a number on speed dial, and cried out in rage as she realised there was no signal inside the cell. Throwing the piece of useless plastic down on the bed she flopped down next to it, burying her face in her arms as she sobbed in anger and frustration. 

"Seifer!" she screamed, but the sound was muffled by her sobs. Finally, she sat up, her face blotched by tears, but she felt better for the release. Sighing, she did as Seifer had taught her, and checked the room for anything which might be used as a weapon. She searched for sharp objects, heavy items, anything, but found nothing. She lay back down on the hard bed, staring at the metal ceiling. Then she felt something digging into her. Frowning, she sat up, and felt on the rough blanket for what it could be. It was a safety pin. Rinoa almost laughed at its uselessness, but pocketed it anyway, it may come in handy.   
  


***************************************************************************   
  


"Galbadia Garden?" Squall said doubtfully. Quistis nodded. The house they were in was deserted, and they were hiding from the many soldiers outside. 

"Remember? If it is impossible to return to your home Garden..." 

"Report to the nearest, in this case Galbadia." Squall finished for her. She smiled. 

"I did teach you something then," she said quietly, smiling to herself. Squall didn't reply, instead turning to Selphie and Zell. 

"Let's get going. We've got a long way to walk." He said. Selphie flicked her hair, sighing. 

"Shouldn't we wait for nightfall? I mean, this place is crawling with soldiers." She said. Zell nodded, agreeing with her. Squall glanced out of the window. He could see five soldiers just from where he stood. 

"Fine. We'll wait for dark, then get going." He said, walking up the stairs to get some rest. Selphie and Zell trudged after him. Quistis stood by herself for a moment in the kitchen, then followed them.   
  


***************************************************************************   
  


It seemed to Rinoa as if days had passed in the prison cell. She was starving, her throat was parched, and she desperately needed a wash. She couldn't tell how much time had passed, because her watch was broken, but in between bouts of crying and fitful sleeping, hours had flown by. Finally, she heard a sound from outside her cell. Instinctively, she got into a crouching stance on one side of the door, ready to attack any who entered if they posed a threat. Then she realised how futile the gesture was. The guards obviously would be armed and prepared for an assault. 

Instead she stood, shaking her hair back from her shoulders, trying to remain dignified, even though her head was killing her, and she was filthy from the dust which clung to her, sticky from her tears. Two guards entered the room. They didn't look at Rinoa, but stood either side of the door. Then Seifer walked in. She had an inkling it was him, just by the sound of his boots clanking on the metal grill outside the cell. She stared at him, her mouth dropped open in shock. 

"Seifer!" she gasped. He grinned at her, resting his gunblade on his shoulder. She ran towards him, throwing herself into his embrace. 

"How you doing?" he asked her, holding her at arms length so he could examine her. Rinoa sighed. 

"Tired, filthy, and I have a splitting headache. Apart from that, I'm feeling great." She said flatly, living him a slightly annoyed look. He shrugged, and even though the gesture infuriated her, she kept a false smile on her face. 

"Sorry, babe. I couldn't get here sooner, Edea needed me." He said. Rinoa raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. 

"Edea?" she said archly. Seifer smiled. 

"Sure. The Sorceress. She's very powerful...and I'm her Knight," he said, his eyes shining with something which disturbed Rinoa. She moved away slightly. 

"A...Sorceress?" she asked, her voice faltering slightly. Seifer nodded eagerly. 

"Yeah. But I told her I gotta go rescue my girl, so here I am." He said with flourish. Rinoa nodded, her attitude now cool. 

"Then get me out of here." She said without emotion, pushing out of the cell and past him.   
  


***************************************************************************   
  


It was cold on the plains as they walked, difficult to get their bearings. Luckily, Quistis knew the way, she'd been to Galbadia Garden before. But even for her, it was difficult in the harsh wind and biting cold of the moors, not to mention the dark. She walked close to Squall, occasionally telling him how far it was, which direction they were headed in, but not actively engaging him in conversation. 

Selphie and Zell walked behind them. Both normally exuberant in character, the two were subdued through lack of sleep and miserable at the conditions. Selphie was dreaming of her hard, thin bed back at Garden, the warm Cafeteria...they seemed so far away, now that they were actually out on a mission. 

Finally, the red-gold structure of Galbadia Garden was visible on the horizon. The sun was just beginning to rise, giving the place an eerie look as it was bathed in silvery light. The weary SeeD's trudged forward, not knowing that they themselves looked ethereal in the moonlight-sunrise of dawn. Eventually, they got to the gates. Quistis turned to Squall. 

"I'll go and talk to the headmaster. I suggest you wait in the reception room. It's on the second floor." She said, and turned to go into the Garden. Selphie sighed, and rested her head on Squall's shoulder. 

"I'm tired," she whined. Squall frowned and moved away from her, uncomfortable with the touch. He began walking into the Garden after Quistis, not giving his comrades a second glance. Zell and Selphie exchanged a look, and walked after him.   
  


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Rinoa stared out the window as Seifer drove, not speaking a word, trying her best to appear as is she didn't give a damn as he declared how wonderful the Sorceress was, and how glorious this was going to be for him. She narrowed her eyes as he spoke, watching the bare landscape pass by, the few skeletal trees swaying in the mild dust storm. She hated this. A Sorceress? And one which had managed to capture all of Seifer's attention...this wasn't good. He seemed different somehow, if possible, more arrogant, less sensitive to her subtle words and gestures. Rinoa was usually quiet around him, loving to drink in his sense of invincibility, his air of being untouchable. But for some reason, he had been irritating her ever since they got back from the Desert Prison. 

Her thoughts went back to the strange boy...the one who had nearly taken her life, but revived her just as her heart began to fail her. She didn't understand why. He was a SeeD, and was there to kill people like her, she knew that. Why then, had he spared her? Even helped her back to life? It kept playing on her mind...it didn't make sense. She remembered feeling warm in his arms as he lifted her, even though she was barely conscious, remembered how he nestled her head against his shoulder as he laid her on the couch, his lingering touch on her arm as he leant over her for an instant before returning to the President. She closed her eyes in recollection, allowing herself to imagine his touch again. He was undoubtedly the best looking guy she had ever seen, but that wasn't why she couldn't get him off her mind. It was something intangible, something she couldn't explain. 

She let a sigh escape her parted lips, feeling her cheeks redden as she jolted back to reality when the car went over a bump in the road. She frowned as Seifer put his hand on her thigh, but made no effort to remove it. 

"So, what do you think?" he said to her. Rinoa glanced at him. 

"What?" she said absently. He laughed, and that made her relax. She loved his laugh. Rinoa attempted to smile. 

"Sorry, I drifted off," she said gently, putting her hand on his. He nodded, cursing as it began to rain heavily. 

"It's okay. You're probably tired after all that fighting." He said. Rinoa raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly. Sensitivity didn't come naturally to Seifer, but when he did make the effort, she couldn't help but think how sweet he was. 

"What I was saying was that I'm going to Deling. To be with the Sorceress. I wanted you to come...you're a good fighter, you could come in useful. Besides, I want to keep an eye on you. SeeD know who you are now." He said with a trace of bitterness. Rinoa sighed. 

"SeeD won't be a problem, I know how to stay out of their way." She said confidently. 

"Rinoa, I know SeeD. If they want to find you, they will." He said impatiently. She sighed again, this time exasperated. 

"And why would they want to find me? What have I done?" she said, irritated. Seifer laughed hollowly, making Rinoa frown. 

"You only tried to attack the President. Their employer. If he finds you have escaped, he may well order his new bodyguards to go and find you." He said. Rinoa made no reply, but pressed her lips together and stared out of the window. The dust storm was building, and it was hard to see the road ahead. She shut her eyes against the sight of swirling sand clouds, and with one hand curled around the single ring hanging from a silver chain round her neck, slowly drifted off to sleep.   
  


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"He may well be dead." Quistis said flatly. Squall frowned slightly. Seifer, dead? Of course, he attacked the President. But it was still hard to imagine Seifer. 

"No way," said Zell excitedly. "Seifer would never let them...he wouldn't. Aw, man..." Zell flopped down on the sofa. Quistis gazed at him coolly. 

"I mean, he was one of us," Zell said, looking perplexed. Squall was beginning to lose patience. Quistis folded her arms, and stared out the window. 

"I never really liked him. I don't have any good memories of him. But still, he wasn't all bad." She said with a tiny sigh. Squall frowned even more. One of us? Wasn't all bad? Did they even remember who Seifer was? 

Squall stood, feeling something like anger, or fear, surging in him. 'No-one's going to talk about me in past tense,' he said under his breath, the words inaudible to anyone else in the room. Quistis looked at him strangely, her eyes narrowed. 

"Squall? Are you all right?" she said, the barest trace of concern lacing her voice. He looked at her, as if seeing her for the first time. She was so young, beautiful, caring, Why had he thrown all that away, just for one night? I could have had her, she already gave me her love...Squall thought, feeling his heart leap. 

"Sorry," he said abruptly, and walked briskly from the room.   
  


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The air in the hotel room was chill, Rinoa's breath misted in tiny clouds as she stepped into the luxurious Presidential Suite of the Galbadia Hotel. Seifer walked next to her, his arm possessively round her waist. She hardly noticed him, the atmosphere was too thick, the air too cold. It was as if they were walking into the web of a huge and venomous spider, or as if she was a virgin sacrifice brought by her obedient father to the lair of the dragon. She didn't like it one bit. 

The lights were off in the room. Only a thin ray of light fell from under the blinds, illuminated by the orange street lights outside. Suddenly, she was thankful for Seifer's closeness, the weight of his hand on her waist reminded her she was not alone here. Her footsteps sounded loud on the marble floor, the thudding of her heart almost audible. Reluctantly, she allowed him to guide her to the main room, where a dim glow could be made out from the half-shut door. Sorceress Edea waited inside. 

"Sorceress," Seifer said, bowing low as he entered the door. Rinoa stood there stiffly, her eyes drinking in the magnificent sight of the Sorceress. Her slim figure was suspended in the air, in a reclining position, her slender limbs poised elegantly as she defied the laws of physics. The dim glow came from the Sorceress herself, as in the gloom she radiated an aura of gold, although the light was cold and murky. Rinoa saw the fingers on the Sorceress' hand slowly flexing, and noticed with a trace of disgust that they were clawed, like a predators. Although the Sorceress had her back to them, Rinoa could see how beautiful the dress she wore was, the black angora hugged the Sorceress' figure, and was trimmed with black feathers which fluttered slightly, although there was no breeze in the room. 

To Rinoa's horror, the Sorceress began to move. Like an awakening, the headdress of the Sorceress came alive first, glowing with supernatural energy, the long coils of the Sorceress' hair began to glow, and retreat into the headdress before disappearing completely. Her arms raised, the long, cruel claws clearly visible under the long black leather gloves she wore. The Sorceress stood. 

Rinoa took a step back, involuntarily. Her heart was thudding, and she felt in awe of this being, which radiated power and a sense of godliness. As a descendant of the Great Hyne, perhaps that is what Sorceresses are. Edea stretched her arm, and turned slowly to face the couple. Seifer smiled as he met his mistress' eyes, the caramel of the Sorceress' eyes striking against her pale skin. Rinoa felt frozen as the Sorceress turned her attention to her, regarding her without smiling, her eyes so piercing Rinoa felt as if her very soul was being scrutinized. The Sorceress was beautiful. Her black dress shimmered in the unnatural light she radiated, contrasting with the marble pallor of her skin. Rinoa couldn't hold the Sorceress' gaze, and found herself lowering her head in a gesture of defeat. 

The Sorceress moved towards Rinoa. Her walk was confident, her heels clicking on the marble floor, the movement made almost sensual by the slight swaying of her hips and the fact that her dress clung to her, dipping low in the front to reveal a hint of what was underneath. She raised her hand, and touched Rinoa's chin lightly, bringing her face up to meet her eyes. 

"Rinoa." She said softly. Rinoa stared into those golden orbs, enthralled by the strange shape of Edea's pupils, and the flecks of light, like sparks, in her irises. The Sorceress released her, and turned to Seifer. 

"She is the reason you had to leave so urgently?" The Sorceress asked flatly. Seifer made a sweeping bow, and did not look into the Sorceress' face. 

"Yes. I had to rescue her from SeeD, and the Galbadian government." He explained. Edea nodded. 

"I will let it go this time. But, in the future, do not leave me for such a long time. I do not like fighting for my own honour." She said, the barest hint of malice lacing her words as she directed her gaze at Rinoa. The younger girl suppressed a shudder, and bowed to the Sorceress. 

"Seifer brought me here to help you." Rinoa said tentatively. The Sorceress raised an eyebrow, but didn't smile. 

"Did he?" she said in a low voice. "I can't see how you can help me. I do not need a handmaid." She said in a voice devoid of emotion. Rinoa lowered her head. She couldn't wait to get out of there, and yell at Seifer for bringing her to this witch. The Sorceress brushed past them in a swirl of chiffon and raven's feathers, leaving the air chill in her wake. Rinoa and Seifer followed her automatically into the dark bedroom, Edea glowing as if she was a candle in the gloom. 

"She is a good fighter, Mistress." Seifer said to the Sorceress Edea. Edea laughed coldly. 

"You are a talented fighter yourself, Seifer. That's why I chose you as my Knight, you are the best. Are you saying you need support?" she asked condescendingly. Seifer bowed again, and the gesture irritated Rinoa. Where was the old Seifer, the one who had no respect for anyone? Her Seifer? 

The Sorceress appeared bored. With a languid gesture of dismissal, she crossed to the window. 

"Leave me now. But do not go far. We have much to do. She may stay here, but she mustn't get in our way." She said. Rinoa and Seifer both bowed low, and left the Sorceress. They walked out of the hotel room, and into the lesser one Seifer had got for them. 

Rinoa was livid. 

"What are you doing, Seifer?! Why did you bring me here...she...she's evil!" Rinoa cried. Seifer slammed the door shut and shoved her out of his way as he walked to the bedroom. 

"Rinoa, it's not like I had a choice. She wanted to see you, that's the only reason she let me go and get you." He said, throwing himself down on the bed. Rinoa folded her arms, sighing in annoyance. 

"Seifer, she's horrible! Didn't you feel it...I wanted to run as fast as I could away from her." Rinoa said with a shiver. Seifer laughed, a hoarse sound which was unlike his usual deep laugh. 

"Rinoa, don't exaggerate. She's not evil, you're just being melodramatic. She's simply a Sorceress, the ambassador for Galbadia. She needs a Knight, she picked me. That's all there is to it. She's got big plans for Galbadia, Rinoa, ones which you of all people should be pleased about." He said angrily. Rinoa glanced at him. 

"What plans?" she asked, slightly curious. Seifer smirked. 

"Let's just say, Galbadia's gonna be under new management. Think about it Rinoa. She's not like those greedy bastards in power now. She won't be interested in conquering land for the Galbadian Empire. You can have Timber back. Maybe, maybe she'll let you have Timber for yourself." 

"What do you mean, for myself?" she asked quietly, but her mind was ticking over. Seifer grinned. 

"Princess, you know exactly what I mean. Soon your nickname could be a legitimate title." He said smoothly. Rinoa gasped. Visions of herself on floats, at the head of parades at Timber's liberation ran through her mind, beautiful gowns, power...it could all be hers, plus her beloved Timber would be free of military presence. 

"So Rinoa, are you with us?" Seifer asked, pulling her into a sitting position on the bed next to him. Rinoa gazed into his face, seeing a new light there. 

"Yes," she whispered as he kissed her gently.   
  


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Squall ended up facing Raijin and Fujin, and they didn't look happy. He sighed in irritation as they approached him, the stoic Fujin looking more harsh than usual. 

"Seifer. Where." She stated, her rough voice grating like sandpaper on his ears. Squall tried to look as sullen as possible, and simply shrugged. This infuriated the grey-haired girl, and she took a step forward, her pinwheel raised menacingly. Squall merely stared back at her, wondering absently what happened to her other eye. 

"Where." She repeated. Her speech impediment really annoyed him. He knew she could talk normally when she wanted, he had heard her several times in the training centre talking to Seifer when she thought they were alone. 

"For Hyne's sake Fujin, how the hell should I know? I'm not one of his posse, it's you guys who are meant to be at his every beck and call," Squall said nastily, turning away from her. He heard Fujin make a high-pitched noise of irritation. Then he felt a heavy hand fall on his shoulder. 

"Hey, Squall, come on man, you know where Seifer is, doncha?" Squall shut his eyes, barely suppressing his rage at Raijin touching him. 

"No, I don't. He's dead, apparently. He attacked the President." Squall said coldly, giving Raijin a look of pure hatred. Raijin jumped back, a look of absolute horror on his face. Fujin's mouth dropped open, and she pushed her hair back from her one eye, staring at Squall. He was surprised to notice her one eye was a brilliant crimson, then he realised it was because she was albino. 

"No." Fujin said, her voice deeper than usual. Squall felt a hint of remorse at the way he had broken the news to them, after all, they were Seifer's closest friends. 

"No, I mean, Seifer would never stand for a trial and all, ya know," Raijin said, but his voice was uncertain. He glanced at Fujin for support. "Fuj, tell him!" he prompted her. Fujin gazed at Squall, and he glanced down as he saw tears welling in her usually hard eyes. She turned to Raijin and kicked him viciously in the shin. 

"Go!" she yelled at him, her voice cracking. Squall watched as Fujin stalked off, followed by a cursing Raijin. 

Squall sighed as he saw Quistis walking towards him. She glanced at Raijin and Fujin, but then turned her attention back to her former pupil. 

"Are you alright?" She asked gently. Squall stared at her in amazement. He turned and walked away. Quistis stood there for a moment, and then hurried after him as he walked out of the Garden and into the sunshine. 

"Squall!" she called, unable to keep up with him as his long strides took him further away from her. Eventually he paused, and sat down on a low grass bank outside the Garden. The sun was newly risen, and the quiet over the Garden was slowly transforming to a low murmur. The light was pink, and put gold highlights into Squall's hair as he sat, his arms around his knees, his head bowed. Quistis sat next to him, staring out to the sunrise. 

"Talk to me." She said softly. Squall sighed. 

"Why do you care? Haven't I caused you enough pain?" he asked her bitterly. Quistis shook her head. 

"Squall, we've talked about this. I thought you understood..." she began, then realised she herself didn't understand what was going on. 

"Of course I don't." He retorted. Quistis sighed, picking a blade of grass and twirling it absently. 

"I...Squall....I'm not mad at you. I just want us to get along. Regardless of what happened in the past. What matters is now." She said with a little smile. Squall looked up, gazing at the sunrise. 

"I don't know...I don't like talking like this." He said, but didn't elaborate. Quistis smiled to herself. 

"Because you might tell me how you really feel, and not steal lines from soap operas like the other night?" she said with a tiny laugh. Squall hid his blush by lowering his head until his face was obscured by his arms again. 

"I'm not used to this," he admitted. Quistis moved a little closer, praying he wouldn't move away. He didn't. 

"Neither am I. At the graduation dance, I was a little drunk, I was upset...I don't usually go around telling my students I'm in love with them," she said, blushing herself. Squall looked up again, glancing at her. 

"I know." He said. Quistis sighed, toying nervously with the end of her whip. 

"It was just...losing my teaching license, seeing all of you graduate, and knowing that even after all my hard work, I was right back to square one, it hurt. Telling you what I had been bottling up for ages felt like the only thing I could do to stop myself going insane." She said softly. Squall looked at her curiously. 

"How long did you....feel like that?" he asked tentatively. Quistis laughed quietly. 

"Months. Do you remember, when I first took over your class, we had those interviews?" she said, smiling at the memory. It was to find out which were ready to take the SeeD exam, and was between the teacher and the individual pupils. 

"Yeah, I remember." He said. He had been incredibly rude to her, refusing to answer some questions, and replying to others with less than satisfactory answers. Quistis however, had remained unfazed. 

"I found you intriguing. I wanted to find out why....you were so cold, and whether I could help you or not. It's each teacher's duty to take an interest in her pupils, but I guess I took it a bit too far..." she said, looking down. Squall sighed. 

"I'm sorry for what I did. I know I acted like a jerk." He said, feeling his cheeks redden. He was showing more emotion now than he could ever remember. And he wasn't all that comfortable with it. Luckily for him, she seemed to be able to read his mind. 

"Squall, I can forget it ever happened, if you want to. We can get along, as friends, as allies. There need not be this tension between us." She said, her voice barely audible. Squall turned to her, a slight frown on his face. 

"You want to forget?" he said, wondering how she was capable of it. Quistis nodded. 

"Let's try and be friends." She said gently. Squall nodded. 

"Okay." He said at length, staring out to the sun, which was just breaking over the line of forest and shed gold light over both of them. Quistis stood, offering her hand to him. 

"Let's go." She said softly, a smile on her face as he looked up to her. He stood up, and she let her hand drop to her side, smiling at him. 

Together, they walked back towards Galbadia Garden, and to their waiting friends.   
  


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"Ok. You've got a new mission. Assassinate the Sorceress Edea." Martine said, walking up and down in front of the four SeeDs. Squall glanced down at the note he had been handed. 

"This note says by means of a sniper. We have no-one with that ability here." He said. Martine nodded. 

"Galbadia Garden will provide you with one. Kinneas! Irvine Kinneas!" he yelled. After a few minutes, a tall teenager appeared. Squall looked at him, restraining his disapproval. Irvine didn't exactly look like a professional. He was too busy examining Quistis and Selphie, quite openly, to listen to what Martine was saying. 

"Kinneas will be your sharpshooter. He's the best of all the three Gardens. Should he fail..." 

"Hey, I wont fail. I never miss my target," he said, smirking at Quistis, he turned her face away. Martine glared at him. 

"Should he fail, you will have to execute the Sorceress in a direct attack. At all costs, get the job done, and if possible, conceal your identities." He said. Irvine shrugged, and went to stand next to Quistis, closer than she would have liked. Martine looked at Squall. 

"Do you have any further questions?" he asked. Squall shook his head. Martine nodded. 

"Dismissed." He said, and the SeeD's saluted him before walking from the Garden.   
  


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Rinoa sat up straight in bed, gasping. She was shivering uncontrollably, and although it had been warm in the room when she fell asleep, now her breath misted as she exhaled. Her eyes were wide as she tried to stare through the dark, and her arms began to prickle with goose bumps. 

"Seifer..." she whispered, finding it hard to talk. He didn't stir, and she bit her lip as she felt her heart beat faster. There was someone else in the room. 

Gingerly, she pushed back the covers, and grabbed her dressing gown from the chair next to the bed wrapping it around her to stop the shivers. She advanced into the sitting room, one hand reaching for the light. Rinoa suddenly let out a little shriek as a pair of glowing amber eyes appeared a few feet in front of her, staring malevolently into her face. As quick as they came, they disappeared, and she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, whirling around, her eyes wide with terror. Seifer flicked on the light, taking her hand away from the switch. 

"Rinoa, what is it?" he asked sleepily. Rinoa drew in a deep breath, her heart thudding. 

"Nothing," she said, turning briskly and walking back to the bedroom. Seifer followed. She got into the bed, throwing her wrap over the back of the chair, not meeting his gaze as he stood at the foot of the bed, looking down at her. 

"Babe, what's wrong? You've been acting strange all evening. It's three in the morning, what were you doing?" he asked, rubbing his eye. Rinoa glanced up at him. All he was wearing was a pair of boxer shorts, and she couldn't help smiling at him, he looked so cute. He grinned back at her, but her smile faded. 

"I'm leaving tomorrow Seifer." She said wearily, folding her arms around her middle. Seifer frowned. 

"Why?" he asked, a cold edge to his voice. Rinoa shrugged. 

"I can't stay here. Not if she's here." She said, looking at him with wide eyes, pleading with him to understand. 

"Rinoa, you must stay. You're needed here." He said flatly. Rinoa sighed. 

"No, I'm not You're the important one here. I'm going tomorrow Seifer. I don't want anything to do with Sorceresses." She said, feeling a chill at the thought of Edea. Seifer made a sound of disgust. 

"You're staying here, Rinoa, don't argue with me." He said, a dangerous tone to his voice. She looked up, an eyebrow raised. Seifer knew he had crossed a line. 

"Because you said so? I don't think so, Seifer. You go and play your little game with Edea, I'm going back to Timber. Where I'm really needed." She said, narrowing her eyes at him. He moved swiftly next to her, leaning over her. Rinoa felt a little afraid as he put his arms either side of her, effectively pinning her to the bed. He looked angry. 

"If you leave, then it's over. I won't save your ass anymore, Rinoa. You'll be on your own. Hell, you don't even have a resistance group to back you up anymore. As I remember, they were killed in your amateur attempt to capture the President. You aren't freeing anyone, Rinoa. You're taking the lives of men and women who trust in you, a mere teenager, to lead them to freedom. And you think you're doing something fine, something noble? Don't make me laugh." He said maliciously, standing up straight, leaving her shocked and upset by his words. 

She got out of the bed, and stood facing him, anger clearly etched on her features. 

"Fine." She hissed. "Become a lapdog for that witch." She said, furious. She made to leave, but Seifer grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into the soft flesh. Rinoa bit her lip in pain, but refused to cry out. He threw her backwards onto the bed. She sat up, glaring at him. He looked down at her with contempt. 

"You won't leave me Rinoa. Or Edea. You're as much a part of this as I am. I won't let you go." He warned her, his voice strangely calm. Rinoa stared at him. Somehow, she knew this was going terribly wrong.   
  


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Finally, the train arrived in Deling City. By now, they knew their way around it, and were able to find Caraway's Mansion with no problem. Fortunately, they had no trouble getting in, and were soon waiting in the comfortable drawing room. Squall waiting impatiently by the window, while Zell paced, and Selphie daydreamed. Quistis was sitting down, re-reading the note from Balamb and Galbadia Gardens on their mission. 

Assassination....Quistis had never been on a mission like this before. Of course, she had taken human life before, but never outside combat. This was different somehow, this was taking a life without giving the other a chance to defend themselves. It made her feel ill. She glanced at Squall. She suppressed a smile as she looked at him, even after all this time, her heart still quickened when she saw him. And as he stood, leaning against the window pane, his face half in shadow from the dim light in the room, he looked like a marble statue, his fine, almost delicate features shaded deeper by the shadows playing across his face. 

She turned away, unable to look at him anymore. Even after all that had happened, after their talk this morning...she couldn't deny her emotions. He was still cold, still uncaring. She couldn't change him, and she didn't plan on trying. But for now, he was a big problem for her. Inwardly, she shouted for joy every time she saw him, and she hated herself for that. But however hard she tried, she couldn't make herself hate him. He was full of contradictions, his coldness, and harshness, hid a vulnerability she longed to see, to repair. She longed to remove whatever caused him that pain, whatever stopped him from showing emotion. 

Sighing to herself, she glanced at the ornate clock on the wall, noticing with a slight frown they had been waiting almost twenty minutes. She looked towards Squall, but as before, he was staring out the window, a look of deep thought etched on his brow, a crease in his forehead as he contemplated their situation. She guessed he was having doubts about the assassination too, this was his first real mission. He wasn't unused to taking human life, like her, he had been in battle situations many times. But they had always been against attackers, to not kill them would have resulted in his own death, or that of his friends. This was....this was murder. 

She herself had trained him for this kind of situation. When she was a student, her instructors had told her many times that it was her duty to carry out orders without question, without hesitation. It didn't stop her thinking of the families of the soldiers she killed, wondering, as she curled her whip around their necks and snapped their vertebrae, whether they left behind parents who loved them. And when she asked herself that question, it was invariably followed by, if you were defeated in battle, would anyone miss you? 

She had no parents. Quistis knew she grew up in an orphanage, and after reading her own file, knew that she had been abandoned as a toddler. She had no memories of her natural parents. Or in fact, any of her childhood. She did know, that she had been adopted at the age of five or six, but she didn't like to dwell on that too much. Her foster parents...it was a very painful subject for her, even now. They were the reason she had run away to Garden at the age of twelve, and in a way, it was because of them she worked so hard. She wanted to make sure she would never, ever have to go back 'home' again. 

But that left no-one who cared. Sure, she had friends. Xu, perhaps. Members of her little fan-club, maybe they would mourn her loss for a few days, weeks maybe, before they found a replacement idol. But no-one would be crippled by her death, no-one would miss her. It made Quistis feel very lonely. 

She was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of the door opening, and General Caraway stepped into the room. She turned to look at him, standing. He looked very conservative, dark hair, greying at the temples, a dark charcoal suit with a maroon tie, and piercing green eyes. Squall walked towards him, and Caraway extended his hand. Squall didn't take it, and Quistis felt slightly embarrassed on his behalf. Instead, Squall nodded to the General, and eyed him coldly. 

"I assume you are the SeeD members?" he said, glancing round at them. Irvine stepped forward. 

"Yeah. We're here for the assassination, right guys?" he said, grinning at Selphie. She frowned and turned away. Caraway nodded. 

"I'll brief you on your mission. We'll divide into two teams, the Gateway Team and the Sniper team..." he said and explained to them what they had to do. Squall nodded. 

"Are we free until then?" he asked. Caraway nodded. 

"Come with me, and I'll show you the exact positions. Then you can explore the city. But please, try not to get into any trouble." He said. Squall frowned slightly. Did he think they were children? 

"We're SeeD's, not kids." Squall said icily. Selphie grinned at him. Caraway gazed back at Squall, and turned to the door. 

"Follow me." He said flatly, and led them out into the city.   
  


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Rinoa stood there as the Sorceress prepared to go out and make her announcement. She had managed to shake the chills Edea gave her whenever they were in the same room together, but the older woman still made Rinoa feel on edge whenever she was close. 

"Child, pass me that ring." She said, gesturing lazily towards the small table. Obediently, Rinoa picked up the ring, and looked at it in admiration before handing it to Edea. It was beautiful, a deep garnet colour set in fine gold. Edea slipped it on over her glove, and the ring seemed to glow for an instant. Rinoa took a step back from Edea. The Sorceress turned and smiled at her. 

"What is it? Nervous about this evening?" Edea asked in a soft tone. To Rinoa, the gentle voice was like a snake hissing, and she recoiled slightly, but was too aware of the danger to retort. 

"No. I'm fine." She said, in a voice just above a whisper. Edea nodded and turned back to the balcony. 

"It's going to be a fantastic event. Crowds, the parade...all for me. And Seifer, of course." She said as an after thought. Rinoa smiled stiffly. 

"Great," she murmured. Edea smiled at her. 

"He likes you. He told me, you were special. Are you special?" Edea asked her. Rinoa shrugged. 

"I don't think so." She replied. Edea laughed. 

"What a demure answer. Befitting that of a Princess." She said, with a glance at Rinoa. She saw the younger girl tense. 

"That is...what you want, isn't it? Power, ruling Timber. Your beloved Timber." Edea said in a soft, seductive voice. Rinoa found her mouth dry, and was only able to nod. 

"I want to free Timber of Galbadian rule," she said with difficulty. Edea smiled at her. 

"And I'm sure they would be happy under the rule of a Princess, such as yourself, who had campaigned for their freedom. You, of all people are worthy of such an honour," she said, gazing at Rinoa with innocent eyes. Rinoa nodded. 

"I guess," she said reluctantly. Edea smiled, and walked to the balcony. From where she stood, she could see the crowds gathering already for the parade, the cheers rising on the sultry evening air through the balcony doors, making the gauze curtains shift and flow in the warm breeze. Despite her trepidation over being the confidante of the 'evil' Sorceress, Rinoa couldn't stem the feeling of excitement at the thought of being at the head of the parade, with all those people looking. All those people...maybe her father would be one of them. Perhaps, her childhood friends, the few she had, perhaps they too would be lining the streets. 

Rinoa smiled, and stepped up to the Sorceress, gazing down at the people, whose excitement was mounting as the light faded and the lanterns switched on. Absently, she wondered where that SeeD was, the one who had saved her. She closed her eyes, smiling slightly as she recalled the image of him. Edea glanced at her. 

"You should go and get ready. It won't be long now." she said flatly. Rinoa opened her eyes, and sighed slightly. 

"Yes, mistress." she said quietly, and drifted out of the room, lost in her daydreams.   
  


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"It's almost 8:00" 

Quistis turned away from the window and stepped closer to the crank. They had made it to the gateway control room with no problems, and all of them were on edge with the anticipation. They could hear the low roar of the crowds, the sea of people surging closer to the Presidential Residence, hoping to get closer to the parade, to the glorious Sorceress. Quistis herself was curious. She had seen the Sorceress before, but her view had been obscured, all she remembered clearly was that voice, the chilling tone which held something eerily familiar. 

She glanced over to Selphie. The younger girl was hopping up and down, stretching, doing warm up exercises which were totally unnecessary, but Quistis understood why. She was nervous, and had too much pent up energy. 

"I hope Irvine's properly prepared," Selphie said, checking her weapon for the hundredth time. Quistis didn't smile. 

"He'd better. Otherwise, he and Squall will have to attack her head on." she said grimly. Selphie frowned slightly and turned away. Zell turned from the window, looking pale. 

"Quistis, there's twenty seconds to go until the parade starts. Which gives us about five minutes." he said. Quistis nodded. 

"Okay." she said. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a tremendous cheer arose from the masses, and a haunting music began, blasted through the loudspeakers hidden in the trees lining the streets. Fithos....Lusec....Wecos....Vinosec.... 

Zell and Selphie stood, cheek to cheek at the small window, gazing open-mouthed at the parade. At this, Quistis did smile. They were like a couple of children, their eyes wide, both clutching onto the window ledge as the dancers went past. 

"Wow..." Selphie breathed, her deep green eyes shining. The dancers were strangely disturbing, macabre figures, dancing in perfect time. But what caught everyone's attention was the float behind the dancers. It was huge...glowing, neon lights and giant gold curlicues. On the float was mounted a huge throne, and on it, the Sorceress. 

She was beautiful. The ornate gold piece she wore on her shoulders looked like a rising sun, it's sharp rays tipped with arrows. This caught the light, deflecting sparks from the fire torches on wither side of her, making the gold seem almost molten. From this gold structure flowed gauze, which fluttered elegantly behind her as she was transported slowly through the streets, and ever nearer to the gateway. Her face was in shadow however, so this was hidden from the onlookers. But nonetheless, she was a fascinating figure. 

On either side of Edea were her servants. One stood proud, his hair glinting golden highlights in the flame light, his sword flashing sparks. Seifer smiled, his expression one of pride, superiority, and power. 

The other, stood with her head bowed. Rinoa was dressed in black satin, a skin tight outfit which was sleeveless, hugging her chest closely, and low enough to reveal the curve of her breasts. It was floor-length, but slit up to the hip on one side. Her raven hair was piled on her head in a mass of intricate coils, styled by Edea herself. Rinoa's eyes stood out dark against the paleness of her skin, the alabaster tint of which was made even starker by the fact she was dressed almost entirely in black. 

Almost, but not quite. On her head, resting on the glossy nest of curls was a gold tiara. A circlet of metal, with long peacock's feathers curling majestically from either side, giving Rinoa the image of a young goddess. In the centre of this head piece, held in place by two spirals of gold, was a dark turquoise gem, which reflected the firelight strongly, emanating an aquamarine glow. 

It was on this Irvine adjusted his sights.   
  


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"I've got a clear shot of her." he said to Squall. The other SeeD frowned. 

"I can see two females. Are you sure it's the right one?" he said in a low voice. Irvine shrugged. 

"The one wearing a crown, right?" he said nonchalantly. Squall raised his hand to his forehead in a gesture of disgust at Irvine's stupidity. 

"Not the one standing up. The one in the throne. Irvine...the other one's far too young to be a Sorceress." he said impatiently. Irvine re-adjusted his aim, and fell silent. Squall glanced at him anxiously. The sniper seemed to be in a deep state of concentration, sweat was breaking out on his forehead, and his breathing was fairly audible. Squall prayed to Hyne he wasn't choking on this. But Squall only spoke when Irvine began to shake. 

"Kinneas! What are you doing?" he said sharply. Irvine didn't reply immediately, but pressed his lips together, his eyes closing briefly. 

"My bullet...my name...they'll change Galbadian history forever. If I take her life..." he said, his voice faltering. Squall closed his eyes, trying to stop himself from yelling at the Galbadian student. 

"I'm a sniper...a loner by nature. I have to pour my whole being into a single bullet...if I fail, then our one good chance at this mission remaining clean is over. If I succeed, someone's life is over, and my name will go down as the man who killed her....I can't live like this," he said, his voice full of emotion. Squall stared at him in astonishment. This man...who only hours before had been molesting Selphie and Quistis on the train, who had acted so shallow and self-obsessed throughout his whole time with the other SeeD's, was now expressing a sense of...trepidation? Guilt? Squall didn't care, he just wanted him to regain his composure fast before the chance to kill the Sorceress was lost forever, and he, Squall, would have to attack her himself. 

"You can do it, Irvine. Martine himself said you're the best sharpshooter of all the Gardens," he said, struggling to keep his voice even. Time was running out, he could already hear the cheers as the Sorceress' float drew near. Irvine shrugged. 

"It doesn't matter if you miss. Just think of your bullet as a signal. A signal for the others to act," he said. Irvine looked up. 

"Just....just a signal?" he repeated, his voice slightly stronger. Yes, thought Squall with relief. 

"Just a signal," he said gently. Irvine nodded, and shouldered the sniper rifle, peering through the sights.   
  


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"Quistis! Now!" 

Quistis felt her heart quicken as she pressed the button to lower the gate. Images flashed through her mind, what if the gate was too rusty to fall, what if it stopped half-way...what if Irvine missed...? But it was over in an instant, he felt the vibration as the gate came crashing down, and the Sorceress was trapped.   
  


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Squall heard the gate fall. It had a definite crash, the metal chiming slightly as it came into contact with the tarmac road below. Over Irvine's shoulder, he saw the Sorceress rise, and her servants look around as if bewildered. She stepped forward, gliding to the front of the float, her caramel eyes sweeping the still cheering on-lookers, as if one of them was responsible for this. 

Squall glanced down at Irvine. He was silent, but completely still. He didn't even appear to breath. "Now," whispered Squall. He saw Irvine tense, for a split second, then he squeezed the trigger. There was immediately a loud crack as the bullet flew. 

Squall's eyes were on the Sorceress. He saw her raise her arm quickly, and frowned as the bullet appeared to miss her, deflected by a green shield she somehow rose. His mouth opened slightly in shock...she could turn aside bullets? But then, he narrowed his eyes in determination. He was clear on what he had to do. 

"Your aim was perfect." he said to Irvine, who was slumped in a depression. The other guy didn't even acknowledge him, but closed his eyes, holding the rifle close to him. But Squall didn't have time to discuss this with him. 

Drawing his gunblade, he leapt off the clock tower, and preparing to strike the soldiers below, brought the blade down hard on the riot police below, knocking at least three of them to the ground, and simultaneously breaking his own fall. He saw the convertible Caraway had left on standby for him if this situation occurred, and leapt over the side, hitting the accelerator hard. He sped through the crowds, his heart thumping, adrenaline mounting as he tried not to think of the up-coming battle.He turned the car, slamming it hard into the dropped gate. The impact shook his body, but he jumped out, and landed on one knee the other side of the bars. Facing him, was Seifer.   
  


"Squall. You thought I was dead, huh? Well, guess what? I'm not," he said with a sneer, smirking evilly at Squall. The younger teenager stood from his kneeling position, holding his weapon in one hand. 

"I'm here to kill the Sorceress. Don't try and stop me, Seifer," he warned him, although he was beginning to feel uneasy. Did killing the Sorceress mean killing Seifer? He hoped it wouldn't come to that. Seifer laughed bitterly. 

"But I'm her Knight. I'm here to *protect* my Sorceress." he said with a smirk. Squall stared back coldly at Seifer. The other boy frowned. 

"Fine, Squall. Have it your way." he said, and lunged forward with his gunblade. Squall blocked it, barely, but was shocked by Seifer's strength. He was much stronger than before, and faster. But so was Squall, and it didn't take him long to counter Seifer's attack with a powerful slash. 

The battle was long, as both were evenly skilled, and it was just a matter of luck that Squall was able to pull off a limit break before Seifer, and eventually defeat him. Seifer dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. He glanced up at Squall, a frown on his usually cocky face. 

"You....defeated me?" he gasped. Squall looked back, unspeaking. Just then, a chill wind wrapped around them, and Seifer stepped back. Squall stared at the Sorceress as she stepped closer to him.   
  


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Seifer drunk an Elixir, feeling himself energised as the medicine began to work. He glanced over to the fight, and knew it would be futile to join in. Edea would beat them anyway, she was far stronger than they, mere SeeD's, were. 

He stood, clutching his chest as pain ripped through him. He grimaced, but the pain subsided, and he managed to walk round to the other side of the float, where Rinoa was still standing, or so he thought. 

"Rinoa...?" he said, a frown of confusion on his face as he saw her, lying on the ground. Slowly, the realisation that she was lying in a pool of her own blood dawned on him, and he rushed to her side, ignoring the pain it caused him. 

"Rinoa!" he yelled, pulling her lifeless body onto his lap. Her lips were almost white, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Gently, he touched the blood saturated dress she wore, running his fingers down her back. Eventually, he found the wound. A bullet hole. 

"Shit..." he whispered, pressing his fingers over the wound, trying to stop the flow of blood. It was futile, her life fluid trickled out between his fingers, staining his white trench coat dark crimson. All too clearly, he could imagine what had happened. 

As Edea deflected the bullet with her shield, she sent it ricocheting ahead of her. Into Rinoa's back. He hadn't noticed Rinoa fall, he was too pre-occupied with Squall. No-one...No-one had noticed Rinoa lying wounded. Seifer felt desperate. 

"Oh...Hyne, please let her be alright..." he whispered, holding Rinoa close to him. He stared into her face, terrified when he saw how waxy her features already were. Then, her eyes appeared to flicker open. 

"Rinoa! Rinoa...you're going to be alright...I promise," he said to her, praying she could hear him. She opened her eyes, gazing at him. He noticed, they were completely black. Never before had he seen her eyes this dark. Usually, they were the colour of plain chocolate, but know, they were black as raven's wings. 

He felt a chill as she regarded him, her skin paper white, her eyes large on black. The blood trickled obscenely from her mouth, making her look like something out of a horror movie. Seifer wanted to push her away suddenly, but he didn't, and felt guiltily relieved as she shut her eyes again. 

"Rinoa...?" he whispered, shaking her slightly. Her eyes remained shut, and her head fell to one side, at an unnatural angle. Repulsed, Seifer pushed her from his lap, and stood, horrified at the amount of dark blood around them, disgusted that it touched him. He looked down at her corpse in horror, watching as the wide circle of her blood spread, and the broken doll in the middle of it remained perfectly still. 

Choking back a gasp, he turned from the sight, and ran back to Edea, unable to stand the sight of Rinoa's cadaver any longer.   
  


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"Weak child." she hissed, her voice like a cobra's, but still beautiful. "Worthless Knight," she whispered, her voice cold as ice. Squall frowned. He had heard her talk before, but now, her voice disturbed him. It was like poison, sweet sounding at first, but with a bitter resonance that chilled him. Her amber eyes seemed to pierce him, and he narrowed his own against their glare. He didn't speak, but rushed towards her, gunblade raised. This time, the shield around her failed, and he slashed her, not very deeply, across the stomach. She hissed in pain, but swiftly cast strong Ice magic on him, causing Squall intense pain. Just then, Squall felt a presence beside him. 

"I have to redeem myself," Irvine said, his voice sincere, as he levelled his shotgun at Edea. Squall took the time to cast Cura on himself, then launched into another attack. This time, the fight was over fairly quickly, as it was two against one, and the Sorceress was weakened by the constant bullets Irvine shot at her from his limit breaks. Eventually, she faltered. 

Squall glanced up, recovering from a Fira attack, and saw the Sorceress looking at him with an expression of intense hatred. His eyes were fixed on her face, even though he would rather be looking at anything else. She seemed to hold his gaze, swallowing him in those golden orbs, pools of stagnant water. She raised her slender arm, and Squall watched as sparks flew above her head, and she formed three spears of ice, huge, and incredibly sharp. With lightning speed, these flew towards him. He almost sighed in relief as he saw them go either side of him, then felt himself falling backward. Looking down, his mouth dropped open in horror as he saw the largest of the three spikes embedded deeply in his chest. Simultaneously, he felt a sharp burning pain, and intense cold creeping over him. Then, mercifully, he slipped into blackness as his body fell from the float.   
  


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Ohh...a cliff hanger...hehehehe. Well, this is gonna be the last part for a while. The only reason I'm writing this really is to put off finishing Forsaken, because I'm really bored with that now. Oh well. Although I say that, I know I wont be able to stop myself from adding to this one...hehe. Ok, well, thanx for reading! Visit my site for more FF7/FF8 fanfic at www.RinoaLeonhartFF8.homestead.com   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

Best Laid Plans Part Three 

By Selphie Leonhart   
  


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Caraway pushed through the crowds, fuelled by a force stronger than the barricades, or the Deling City police who tried to bar his way, not knowing who he was. Light were flashing orange over the scene, and sirens wailed deafeningly loud, but he heard none of it, saw nothing. His eyes were focussed on the float, on the blood which seeped over the side, to the pale hand which hung limp, attached to an equally lifeless body. That of his daughter. 

"No..." he whispered, oblivious to the police who tried to prevent him reaching Rinoa's body. He climbed up onto the float, kneeling next to her, ignoring the blood which soaked into his clothes, which covered his hands as he lifted her body, pulling her close to him. 

His face contorted in agony, unable to believe it had ended like this. His only child...his baby girl, lying twisted, bathed in flashing blue and orange lights, piercing sirens and the crackle and hiss of the police radios as reports were made on the Sorceress, and who they assumed was her intended successor. He cradled her close to him, his eyes shut so he wouldn't see her deathly pale face, her open black eyes which in her death seemed full of accusation. 

"Nooo!" he moaned, feeling his insides twist as the realisation of her death hit him. His Rinoa was gone...she died his enemy. 

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered to her, rocking back and forth, holding her tight, unable to let go. His fingers tangled in her hair, the intricate coils falling, the tiara knocked sideways as he clung to her in his grief. Terrible memories flashed into his mind of when he had held Julia like this...when Julia had been the same shade of grey, and lifeless, like a doll or model, not something which had once been a real person, someone who had laughed, smiled, had sudden fits of anger and cried tears of sadness. Rinoa...this was not Rinoa he held. This was a shadow of her, a mere shell. 

For the first time in his life, Caraway let the tears fall.   
  


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Quistis woke feeling her head thumping. Her eyes opened slowly, and she blinked, trying to focus on what was around her. 

"Squall!" she cried, sitting up straight as the memories of what happened returned to her. Almost immediately, she realised he wasn't there, and the only others with her were Selphie and Zell. Both of them were sitting on the floor near her, and both looked incredibly dejected. 

She frowned, rubbing her head. 

"Where are we?" she asked her former pupils. Zell looked at her and shrugged. 

"Don't know. Prison..." he said mournfully. Selphie gazed at Quistis, her big green eyes full of questions. 

"What's going to happen to us?" she asked. Quistis looked down. If they were in prison, that meant that Squall was here too. If he was still alive. But...he couldn't be. She had seen the spear go right through him. Quistis gasped softly, shutting her eyes to try and block out the pain. He...was he really gone? She was sure that...if he had really died, she would have felt something. Something intangible, but definite. Somehow, she couldn't convince herself he was really dead. She opened her eyes, and looked at the others. 

"We've got to get out of here." she said quietly.   
  
  
  


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"Open your eyes." 

The voice was harsh, and Squall was sure he recognised it from somewhere. Seifer....it was his voice. Squall opened his eyes, but made no movement. He suddenly realised with a shock, that he wasn't lying down as he thought, but vertical, suspended on the wall. Glancing down, he expected to see a huge wound, or at the least bandages, but there was none. However, there was no time to contemplate what had happened, as Seifer began to speak to him again. 

"Pathetic." He sneered. 

Squall gazed at him coldly, ignoring the pain in his wrists and ankles where he was bound to the metal wall. The restraints had obviously been on him for a long time, and he could feel the metal biting into his flesh. He felt an incredible ache in his shoulders, and hung his head trying to relieve the pain. Seifer seemed to take this as a sign of defeat. 

"You are worthless," he said, obviously enjoying this. Squall didn't look up, feeling too tired to respond to Seifer. He heard the swish of Seifer's gunblade cutting through the air, a common gesture he made to express annoyance, or to emphasise a statement. 

"You....Edea orders you to reveal the true purpose of SeeD." he said in a low voice. Squall looked up, a frown creasing his brow. True purpose of SeeD? Weren't they mercenaries? Dispersed over the world to fight for other's causes...there was nothing more to it as far as he knew. 

"Don't...don't you know?" Squall gasped, difficult because he was so tired, and his muscles ached so much. Seifer cut the air with his sword again, an expression of loathing on his face. 

"I wouldn't know. I'm not a SeeD, am I?" he said in a voice thick with hatred. Squall didn't meet his gaze. 

"There must be something you're told when you become a SeeD...some secret. Edea wants to know!" he demanded. Squall shut his eyes, thinking desperately. Seifer appeared to take this as defiance. He turned to the guard, who had been standing there throughout the whole thing silently. Seifer gestured towards Squall, and nodded to the man. A smile crossed the guards hard features, and he pulled a lever on the wall. Instantly, Squall felt a terrible pain burst through his body, making every single hair on his body stand on end. He felt as if his muscles were being pulled apart by red-hot tongs. It was all he could do to stop himself screaming in agony, he gritted his teeth together and prayed that this torment would soon be over. 

Eventually, the pain stopped. His body stopped jerking by itself, and he relaxed, feeling even worse than before. 

Seifer's bitter laugh rang out. The sound echoed in the metal chamber, and Squall felt rage build up inside him. He opened his eyes, and glared at his rival, who was grinning demonically at him, obviously enjoying the sight of his nemesis in pain. He was like a cat toying with a mouse, and Squall realised with a sinking feeling he was completely at Seifer's mercy. 

"Now tell me. What is the true purpose of SeeD?" Seifer repeated. Squall hung his head. What the hell did Seifer want to hear? That they were really a terrorist organisation, bent on world domination? That wasn't what SeeD was, there was nothing he could tell Seifer he didn't already know. He couldn't lie, couldn't put Garden in danger if he said the wrong thing. He had no choice.... 

Squall remained silent. Seifer gazed at him for a few moments, and then as if accepting this as an answer, turned to the guard who controlled the electricity flow to Squall's chains. The guard nodded in understanding, and pulled the lever again. 

This time, Squall's screams rang throughout the prison block.   
  


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Edea smiled slightly as she heard the screams. Standing alone in the empty metal walled room, she heard the feral cry reverberate against the dull metal, and eventually fade. She knew who was being tortured, after all, she had ordered it. 

The door opened with a soft click. Edea turned, and her expression didn't change as Seifer entered the room. He bowed to her, his sword drawn as always. 

"Mistress, he won't talk." Seifer said in a low voice. Edea frowned slightly, the change in her expression almost imperceptible. 

"He refuses to say anything about SeeD. I don't know why you don't just kill him." He said, gazing at her closely. Edea smiled, her mouth barely twitching upwards. 

"I have my reasons." she said, her voice hissing. Seifer glanced upwards. 

"What are SeeD hiding? How will it be of use to us?" he asked, frowning at Edea. She turned from him, the smile leaving her face. 

"You ask too many questions." she said coldly. Seifer sighed, exasperated. 

"Rinoa's dead, you know," he said to her, his voice bitter. Edea laughed softly, and for the first time, Seifer felt revulsion towards the Sorceress. 

"She died from the bullet which was meant to hit you!" he said, his voice ringing in the metal clad room. Edea froze, then turned to him stiffly. 

"And isn't it better she die, than I do? She is of no consequence, she wouldn't have made an ounce of difference to this world had she lived. Rinoa Heartilly didn't matter." she hissed at him. Seifer shook his head. 

"You're wrong." he said, but seemed to have difficulty getting the words out. Edea smirked, her back to him. 

"Am I?" she whispered. She jumped slightly as she heard the door slam shut behind her, the sound echoing. Her beautiful features twisted into an expression of hate. Twisting round, her hands clenched into claws, she faced an empty room.   
  


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Quistis was the only one who heard the soft click of the magnetic lock being released. For almost a whole minute, she knelt there, staring as the light above the door flickered to green, and then rose to her feet unsteadily. 

"Zell....Selphie..." she murmured, walking briskly to the door. Zell gasped as he saw the green light, and ran next to Quistis as she stared at the door handle as if it might bite her. She glanced at Selphie, and motioned for her to get the other side of the door. Quistis put one hand on the door handle, and took a deep breath, looking intently at Zell, who was in a fighting stance, prepared to knock out anyone foolish enough to be waiting the other side of the open door. 

She opened it, and they all tensed. But there was no-one there, and a quick glance around told Quistis that the floor they were on was empty. 

"It's okay." Quistis said, walking out into the circular corridors. Her boots sounded loud on the metal grating of the floors, and she was on edge, thinking a guard might hear them at any minute. Selphie stepped beside her looking around the spacious area they were in. 

"Which way do we go?" she asked Quistis. The older girl shrugged. 

"Down, I guess. I think it's more likely that the exit is there, but we still have to..." she was cut off as a horrible cry rent the air around them. Selphie's eyes went wide, her mouth dropping open. Quistis felt her heart sink. Zell shook his head. 

"Guys, that really sounded like..." 

"Squall." Quistis whispered. Selphie moaned. 

"No, no, he wouldn't scream like that...what are they doing to him?" she said in a trembling voice. Quistis swallowed hard, pushing disturbing images out of her head. 

"Let's go. We've got to go find him." she said. The others nodded grimly, and they set off at a brisk pace, each terrified to think what state they might find their leader in.   
  


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The silence which hung in the room was thick, as if the room was hung with black velvet curtains, muffling any sound, shutting out all light. There was nothing to stimulate the senses, nothing to let you know you were alive, and not just dreaming, or in fact dead. There was nothing. Just the dark, and the silence. 

But that darkness was broken by a sudden flare of light, illuminating a face which was perhaps worse than the darkness itself. Edea held in her cupped hands a sphere of yellowy orange light, which writhed and twisted between her palms, as if seeking to escape its clawed prison. The flickering light danced across her face, highlighting the vine-like veins which stood out along one cheek, the softly swaying ornaments which hung from her headdress. As the light calmed down, and softened to a meek glow, she stepped forward, to a table, which was revealed in the pale light. 

On the table was a sight which would shock ordinary mortals, but not Edea. She simply gazed upon the table, spread as it was with crimson velvet, and reached out with one hand to the body which lay on it. Edea calmly placed the ball of light on the table, above the corpse's head, where the glow visibly brightened, shedding an eerie light over the table, and over the Sorceress. 

Rinoa was completely white, as if all the blood had been drained out of her. Her eyes were shut, her cheeks sunken. She was still dressed in the black gown of the parade, her hair falling out of the intricate style it had been in, the tiara clinging on half-heartedly to one side of her hair. She was absolutely still. 

"How hard it was to procure your body, my child. I hope he appreciates the effort I am making," she hissed, dragging one claw-like nail along Rinoa's smooth cheek. 

Edea sighed, closing her eyes briefly. She had to do this, for Seifer, otherwise he would...she couldn't allow him to ruin her plans. She held out her hands over Rinoa, a frown of concentration on her face as she called on not only her powers, but on an others too. Edea alone didn't have the power to bring back the dead, but Ultimecia did.   
  


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The screaming stopped as they got closer, and if possible, Selphie and Quistis got even paler. 

"Do you think he's..." began Selphie. Quistis whirled round to face her. 

"Of course not." she snapped at Selphie. The younger girl pressed her lips together and walked on at a brisk pace, clutching her weapon closely. Quistis sighed. 

"Sorry." she said quietly to Selphie. Selphie nodded, and they hurried forward. Eventually, down the winding metal corridors and dead ends, they found a room quite unlike the others in the prison. Zell stopped. 

"Guys, I saw this place in my dream." he said excitedly. Selphie frowned at him. 

"What?" said Quistis, examining the door to see if it was fitted with a sensor. Zell nodded. 

"I dreamt that I was working here, and I was a janitor or something... this is a torture room." he said in a hushed tone. Quistis stood up from her kneeling position by the door, and frowned at him. 

"Are you serious?" she asked him, putting on what Selphie and Zell called her 'instructor' voice. Zell nodded. 

"Yeah. I was that guy again...Ward. It was strange. Here, what you have to do is press this, and then this..." he said, pushing various numbered buttons on the electronic lock of the door. Quistis and Selphie watched in amazement as the light over the door flashed red twice, and then turned to green. Quistis managed a smile at Zell, before pushing the door open cautiously. 

"Oh!" Quistis gasped as she entered the room. The first thing she noticed as she entered the room was Squall, hanging as if crucified, from the wall. 'Please let him be alright,' she prayed silently, running across the large room to him, staring anxiously at the unconscious Squall. Selphie and Zell quickly made it to her side, both gazing up at him. 

"How do we get him down?!" cried Selphie, her vivid green eyes huge with worry as she gazed at their leader. Quistis glanced around the room desperately, and her eyes fell on a lever. She walked to it, and looked back at Zell. 

"Which one?" she asked him, her voice deep with worry. He frowned, concentrating. 

"One of them will shock him..." Zell said, trying hard to remember. Quistis sighed impatiently. 

"Which one!" she demanded. Zell sighed. 

"That one." he said, pointing at one of the levers. Quistis looked at Zell hard, and then turned to the lever painted blue, right next to one painted red. "Zell, get ready to catch him when he falls," she said quietly, swallowing hard as she looked at his battered body, suspended in the air. Zell nodded, and he and Selphie stood beneath Squall. Taking a deep breath, Quistis pulled the lever. 

Immediately there were four loud snaps, and the jingling of rusty chains as Squall was released from the shackles. He fell forward, into Selphie and Zell's outstretched arms. The two of them stumbled backwards, and laid him down on the cold metal floor. Quistis ran over to them, kneeling beside his unconscious form. 

"Squall?" she said softly, checking his pulse. She went very pale. 

"I can't find a pulse," she whispered.   
  


***************************************************************************   
  


"Rise!" she rasped, lifting her arms high over Rinoa's body. The light at the end of the table flickered, and went out. Edea's breath came in ragged gasps as she concentrated all her energy, pouring every ounce of her power into Rinoa's prone body. She fell to her knees, but didn't stop. Edea's hands clenched, and unclenched, and then with a deep cry, she fell unconscious next to the velvet clad table. 

There was once again a heavy silence in the room. Then, a small gasp was heard. The velvet on the table shifted, rustling in the darkness as it was gripped by a white hand. Two clicks were heard as she put her feet down on the floor, taking an uncertain step forward. Then, there was a high pitched sob. 

"Seifer? Help me!" Rinoa whispered, her voice verging on hysterical.   
  


***************************************************************************   
  


"Oh, Hyne," whispered Zell, looking terrified as Quistis raised a hand to her mouth, at a loss for what to do. Selphie knelt next to her. 

"Let me try," she said, in an attempt to remain calm, but Quistis could see her hand shaking as she touched Squall's neck, trying to find the artery which would tell them if he was still alive. She closed her eyes and withdrew her hand, shaking her head. Quistis gasped sadly. 

"Selphie, I'm going to try and give him CPR," she said. Selphie nodded. Zell backed away. 

"What can I do?" he asked. 

"Nothing." said Quistis. Only she and Selphie had medical training, Selphie had been given it as part of the syllabus at Trabia Garden, and as an Instructor, Quistis has gone on a medical course. It was this she was desperately trying to remember, but as she was close to panic, it was hard to remember exactly what she should do to help him. 

Selphie looked at her expectantly. Quistis took a deep breath. "Okay. I know what to do." she said, and kneeling over him, placed her hands over his chest, where she guessed his heart was. Forcing herself to remain calm, she ran through the CPR procedure which was coming back to her now. Selphie called for her to stop, and she breathed into him, checking afterwards to see if he was breathing, Selphie shook her head at Quistis, and she began again, trying her hardest to quell the fear which was beginning to threaten her composure. 

Again and again, she and Selphie repeated the breathing and massaging actions, trying to coax Squall back into life, while Zell paced anxiously beside them. Eventually, it seemed to work. Selphie raised her head after giving him the kiss of life, and gasped. 

"He's breathing!" she said, smiling down at him. Quistis shut her eyes in a thankful prayer, and gazed down at him. 

"We've got to get him out of here." she said, checking his pulse again. It was weak, but definitely there. She smiled at Selphie, and the two of them pulled Squall into a sitting position. 

Just then the door shot open. Quistis, Selphie and Zell froze, their eyes on the door. Quistis felt her heart thumping. Was it possible, just as they managed to rescue Squall, and were so close to escaping, they would be imprisoned again? She didn't have time to contemplate it any further, because whatever it was entered the room. Quistis frowned. It looked like a cross between a lion and a dog, fiery red, and walking clumsily on two legs. 

"A moomba?!" cried Zell. Quistis glanced at him, surprised he seemed to know what it was. She herself had never heard of such a thing. 

It squeaked, and seemed shocked to see them there. It had been carrying a tray, which was sent spinning across the floor as it jumped in surprise. On the tray was water, a sponge and something which could have been food, it was hard to tell as it was a kind of beige sludge. 

Selphie stood up, and walked over to it, bending down to meet it's eye level. 

"Don't be scared," she said in a bright voice. The moomba didn't move away from her, but jumped, squeaking again. 

"Do you know a way out of here?" she asked it. The moomba stared at her, and didn't move. Quistis stood up. 

"Selphie, what if it belongs to one of the guards? It could run off and tell them where we are." she said softly. Selphie frowned. 

"I don't think so. It seems nice. Besides, look at this." she said, touching a band of metal around the moomba's neck. It was a tracking device, one which the SeeD's knew was used on all prisoners to locate them incase they escaped. Luckily, they hadn't been fitted with them. 

"It's a prisoner too," said Selphie sadly. While they were talking, the moomba seemed to notice Squall. It squeaked loudly, and rushed his side. Then it jumped up and down, seemingly ecstatic. 

"Laguna! Laguna!" it cried. Selphie and Quistis looked at each other in confusion. 

"That's Squall." Selphie said, wondering why the moomba was making this weird noise. But it made no reaction to her, instead, running across the side of the room. 

"Laguna!" it squeaked again. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling sound and the whole prison began shaking. The SeeD's all fell to the floor as the shaking rocked the torture chamber. Eventually, the prison ground to a halt, and they got to their feet. Then the sirens began. A hidden announcement system crackled into life, and a harsh voice began speaking. 

"Prisoners loose on Floor 6, the anti-magic field has been lifted and monsters have been released on each floor" the voice announced. Quistis gasped. 

"We've got to move. Now!" she said, putting her arm under Squall's shoulders, attempting to lift him. Zell rushed over to help her. The moomba, which was still jumping up and down in delight, began tugging on Quistis' skirt. 

"Do you know a way out?" she asked shortly. 

"Laguna!" it yelped, and with a final tug, leapt over to another side of the room. Sighing, Quistis and Zell followed it, with Selphie close behind them. The moomba pressed a button on the wall, and two metal shutters shot back to reveal a small window. 

"Thankyou," Quistis said breathlessly as she urged Selphie to go through the window first. The small girl fitted through easily, and landed on the metal walkway outside. 

"Zell, you next." she said. Zell hesitated, but then followed Selphie, struggling to fit through the narrow opening. 

Quistis turned to the moomba. 

"Please, help me get him out," she asked it. The moomba jumped, and while squeaking, pointed to Quistis' pocket. Frowning, she moved her hand their absently, and gasped as she felt the pulsating GF orbs beneath her fingers. 

"Of course! Thankyou," she said, picking out one at random. 

Shutting her eyes, she held the red globe tightly, and called out with her mind. 'Brothers,' she called. Eventually, she felt a reply, and the GF appeared, confused to be called outside of battle. Silently, instantly, she explained the situation, and the smallest of the two lifted Squall effortlessly, pushing him through the window. Quistis nodded her thanks, and the GF's disappeared. With a final glance behind her to the moomba, she climbed up the ledge, and pulled her self up and out of the window.   
  


***************************************************************************   
  


Rinoa crawled forwards through the darkness, sobbing quietly. She felt strange, empty, numb. She didn't know where she was. Her eyes were wide, but she couldn't see anything as it was pitch dark in the room. She was on her hands and knees, and moving forward tentatively. She noticed that the floor seemed to hurt her hands...as if it was coated in gravel. To rest her hands she sat up on her knees, and brought her sore hands up to wipe her face. 

She was surprised to feel that her face was completely dry. Wiping her eyes nervously, she realised although she had been sobbing, no tears had fallen. She took a deep, shuddering breath, wondering what had happened to her, and suddenly heard a loud knock at the door. She froze, crouching down low, trying to make herself as small as possible. She heard a voice call, but she didn't understand what they said. 

Then the door was opened. A bright shaft of light fell into the dark room, hurting Rinoa's eyes. She looked up, towards the light, but couldn't see anything, it was too bright. Holding her hands up to shield her sensitive eyes, she could make out the vague outline of a man. He ran to her.   
  


***************************************************************************   
  


Quistis rubbed a hand across her eyes, trying futilely to rid them of the dust and grime which clung to her damp skin. Her eyes stung with the sharp, dry wind, and made her want to cry even more. She was exhausted. 

Turning to Selphie, Quistis sighed. "We can rest here." she said. Selphie opened one eye, and glanced at her. Silently she nodded, and settled into a sleeping position. Zell was already sound asleep in the back of the abandoned truck, using an old piece of cloth as a pillow. The evening air in the desert was calm, in contrast to the earlier sand storms and cutting winds which had hindered their earlier progress. It had been a hard trek through the desert, Squall unconscious, everyone terrified that Galbadian troops may at that minute be creeping up on them.But, as night fell, they discovered this abandoned army truck, which provided no means of escape from the desert, but at least gave them shelter. Quistis, however, still felt the chill of fear. She thought of herself as their guardian of sorts, Selphie and Squall had been her pupils, and were her responsibility. Glancing at them now, both sleeping, she felt a renewed sense of protectiveness. Settling back against the worn seat of the truck, Quistis closed her eyes, listening to the mournful howl of a thrustaeveis as she drifted into uneasy sleep. 

Suddenly, a rustling noise grabbed her attention. Sitting bolt upright, Quistis scanned the truck for the source of the noise. A cry escaped her lips as she looked down, and saw Squall sitting up. 

"Squall!" she gasped, kneeling beside him. He looked at her, his stone blue eyes misted with confusion. 

"Where are we?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep. She smiled nervously. 

"The desert, about twenty miles from the prison. You were unconscious..." she trailed off as Squall stood. 

"Edea." he said harshly. Quistis frowned. 

"What about her?" she asked. Squall shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. 

She...she looks familiar. We've met before." he said with certainty. Quistis folded her arms. 

"Squall, you were injured, I think you should res..." 

"I don't need any more rest. I need to figure this out." he said, sitting down on the padded bench which ran along one side of the back of the truck. Quistis sighed, and sat opposite him. 

"Fine. As long as you're okay." she said quietly, her eyes resting on the sleeping Selphie. Squall glanced up at her, as if seeing her for the first time. 

"Thankyou." he said awkwardly. Quistis looked surprised. She smiled at him.   
  


***************************************************************************   
  


Rinoa took the warm drink Seifer offered her, but didn't sip any. Instead she simply held the cup, letting it warm her cold hands. He paced infront of her, one hand pressed against his forehead as if he was working out a mathematical equation of immense difficulty. Then he turned to her. 

"What did Edea do to you?" he asked at length. Rinoa shrugged, shivering as she felt a chill. Seifer sighed. 

"You were dead. I saw that myself. How can anyone resurrect the dead? Even a Sorceress..." he said, trailing off as he stared at Rinoa. She gazed back indifferently, her dark eyes piercing. 

"I don't know. I don't care." she said, her voice carrying a misty quality.She wasn't really listening to him, in her head ran images of that boy, the SeeD....she couldn't stop thinking of him. She was sure she was meant to find him, she was certain their fates were intertwined. It was all she was certain of right now. Rinoa stood up. 

"I'm going to find him." she said calmly to Seifer, tugging the last of the ornaments out of her hair as she pulled on a shawl. She knew the sandstorms out there were fierce, and needed to protect herself. Seifer stared at her in astonishment. 

"What?! You're gonna go out...there?!" he said incredulously. "To find who?" he asked. Rinoa smiled to herself. 

"Never mind. Don't follow me Seifer, this is something I have to do alone." she said quietly, opening the door to the outside. Immediately the wind whistled around her, and specks of sand scratched lightly at her skin. Rinoa shut the door behind her, and as the winds died down, stared at the clear night sky. A smile crossed her face as she set out on her journey.   
  


*I will find you, SeeD.*   
  


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Sorry for how short this part is, but I've been overloaded with fics to do! Part four will be along soon....=)   
  
  
  


Visit my site!   
  


http://www.RinoaLeonhartFF8.homestead.com 

SorceressRinoa@angelwings.co.uk   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Best Laid Plans Part Four

Selphie Leonhart's  
Best Laid Plans  
Part Four  
  
  
In the darkened room, the woman jerked in the chair. She sat in a reclining position, her arms strapped to the carved mahogany arms of the plush velvet and antique wood chair. Her elaborately painted eyes were taped shut, the inks used to trace the patterns on them smudged with sweat. Her mouth, rose pink lips forming a perfect pout, opened and closed as if she was fighting for breath.   
Suddenly her head twisted to the side, and a moan escaped her lips. The wires   
connected to her head strained, and the sound of sharply approaching footsteps filled the air. A latex-gloved hand stilled her, the deft hands holding her head still, calming her. The wires which had come loose were re-attached, and her pulse checked. The doctor stepped back to look at her as her eyes opened. It took a few seconds for her   
to digest her surroundings, and recover her own voice.  
"What happened?" she said hoarsely. The doctor bowed.   
"There is no longer a host for you in that time, mistress," he said in a silky voice. Ultimecia frowned.  
"Edea? What happened to her? Last I remember she was fighting against my control,   
helping the girl..." she said, a look of disgust on her face. The doctor's upper lip switched, a nervous tic.   
"She uh...Edea gave Rinoa more than life..." the doctor said. Ultimecia's expression   
changed to one of loathing. "So now the power resides in that child..." she said, almost spitting the words out. The doctor hesitated.  
"Um, well, no, in a way....she doesn't realise it yet, you see, she isn't a normal human,   
she is dead, only given the power of thought, she could yet prove useful, you see, uh, her body is now indestructible...although her power, the power Edea had was almost all used up when she re-animated her...she is almost a non-sorceress in that respect," he said, tumbling over his words in fear of the Sorceress before him, even though she was bound to the chair, she sat in it as if it were a throne.  
"But she is still a Sorceress....I can still possess her," Ultimecia said slowly. Her amber   
eyes seemed to shine with a cold light as an idea formed in her mind. The doctor began   
wringing his hands.   
"Well no, uh, she isn't, you can't, um, well," he stammered. Ultimecia turned her   
snake-like eyes on him. "What?" she hissed. The doctor began shaking.   
"She, um, she's dead, there is nothing to possess. Her body is only a shell, uh, you see,   
the possession, wouldn't be total, sometimes, if she is strong enough, you would only   
reside in her mind, not control it, well, " he stuttered. Ultimecia turned her reptilian gaze on him.   
"Get on with it," she snapped, impatient with his hesitation.   
"She might be able to break free of your control for periods of time." he finished.  
Ultimecia frowned.  
"We have to try," she said softly.  
  
*********************************************************************  
"She's in a coma."  
Seifer snorted in disgust and walked away from the young doctor.  
"She is a Sorceress! How can she be in a coma?" he asked scathingly. The doctor   
flinched.  
"Massive amounts of energy...she....the magic..." he stammered. Seifer shook his head in dismissal.   
"Leave. I need to think about what to do." he said. The doctor turned and walked quickly from the room.   
"Damn," whispered Seifer, glancing at the sleeping Edea.  
  
*********************************************************************  
Rinoa glanced upwards at the sky, searching for the north star. It was her only assurance she wasn't going round and round in circles. No way would she want to see the prison on the horizon, especially after walking so far. Already, she was feeling an ache coming over her whole body, not tiredness, more like a weariness, as if what she was doing was hopeless.   
All that kept her going was the image of that SeeD. She smiled at the thought of   
him, then an uneasiness crossed her as she wondered what he would say to see her. Were they enemies? Certainly, he had saved her life, after almost taking it. Held her in his arms, looked deep into her eyes with his pained ones. What did it mean? She needed to find out.   
Suddenly, Rinoa twisted her ankle on a tuft of coarse grass, one of many which was   
scattered over the arid landscape. As she fell to her knees, coming into contact with the rough sand, a sudden coldness washed over her, as if cool water was being thrown over her. She opened her lips to cry out, but no sound was made. She felt a numbness, unlike the one she had felt earlier, and felt a detachment from her body, as if she was retreating into a corner of her mind which had no control over anything.   
She laughed. Rinoa heard the unfamiliar sound, and instinctively tried to turn, but that was impossible. Then she realised it was *her* who was laughing. Then the voice spoke to her.  
"Dont try and fight me," Ultimecia hissed. Rinoa couldn't respond. Ultimecia smiled,   
twisting Rinoa's features into her own evil smirk. Rinoa felt sick as her eyes closed and   
opened again, and she got to her feet, completely under Ultimecia's control. She felt like a puppet.  
*Where are we going?* she thought with despair. Ultimecia answered her, the sound   
echoing inside her her mind.   
"To find your SeeD." She whispered.   
  
*********************************************************************  
The dawn made the sand sparkle with damp dew, the crystalline droplets clinging to the SeeD's clothes as they trudges through the bleak landscape, the grey half-light of the newly risen sun their only guidance. Not even the friendly stars acted as their compass, they only knew the East, and it was in that direction they headed, towards the sun itself.   
"Where are we going?" asked Selphie wearily. It seemed a rhetorical question,   
one she already knew the answer to. They were heading nowhere, aimlessly wandering. In the back of everyone's minds was a dull purpose, find the nearest Garden, make a report on their failed mission. But nothing seemed real out in the ethereal stillness of the desert, Gardens and reports seemed millenia away, almost as if they had never existed in the first place. Clarity of thought seemed a pleasure denied to them, hypnotised as they were by the neverending dunes and sparse, coarse tufts of desert grass. There were nowhere, yet it seemed like everything there ever would be.   
"Garden," Squall said shortly. His mind was crowded with thoughts, with   
questions. But however he tried to sort out his thoughts, file them clearly and cleanly   
away, a certain image replayed itself, dancing again and again in his mind. The girl in the blue dress with the jet black hair and the sparkling eyes. She replayed over and over, her smile, the way her eyes had opened slowly to look up at him, the regal beauty of her in the Sorceress garb.   
And then, the vision became reality.  
"Oh!" cried Quistis as a figure appeared on the top of a sand dune facing them. Against   
the sun she was backlit, she looked like a dark goddess as she stood proud, the wind not even daring to waft her hair away from her face. She looked down at them coldly, as if she was a queen and them her subjects.  
"I am Rinoa," she said. Her voice was husky, deep. Squall frowned and took a   
few steps closer to look at her. She gazed upon him, her mouth unmoving, her expression unchanged, but her eyes...something in them stirred, and something intangible passed between her and Squall. The next instant it had gone, and her amber eyes became cold once more.   
"Help me, I am lost," she said softly. Her words seemed disjointed somehow, as if she was unused to speaking them. Quistis however, didn't notice.  
"Who are you?!" she cried. Her expression was suspicious. She had seen Rinoa dead...  
how could she be here now? The SeeD mission where they had been enemies didn't   
matter...SeeD's remained neutral in political disputes. However, a return from the dead   
warranted some explanation. Rinoa raised her hands, in an old fashioned gesture of   
surrender.  
"I am lost," she repeated, her voice softening. For the first time Squall noticed an accent to her words, a husky lilt as Selphie's voice still held slightly, one from the north eastern countries. Selphie's accent had diminished due to her living in another country and blending in, but it was noticble in Rinoa's voice now. Strange, that he hadn't noticed it before.   
"Please, I woke up outside the prison, where they had left me wrapped in a shroud...I was covered in blood, they believed me dead. Now I want to get home," she whispered   
Selphie ran up the dune to her, putting her arm around Rinoa's shoulder.   
"Come with us, we're finding our way out of the desert too. We'll protect you," she said warmly, smiling reassuringly at Rinoa. The raven haired girl didn't smile back, but   
allowed herself to be led as Selphie continued to walk towards the rising sun.  
  
*********************************************************************  
*Don't hurt them, please!* Rinoa pleaded with Ultimecia. Throughout the exchange with the SeeD's Rinoa had been screaming at Ultimecia to leave them alone, not to go with them, not to hurt them. But the malevolent one was stronger than she, and wouldn't heed Rinoa's desperate pleas.   
*No!!!* Rinoa screamed as Ultimecia smiled at Selphie whilst the green eyes girl   
chattered, unaware her silent companion was inwardly doing battle with herself.  
*Don't hurt them! They've done nothing to you!* Rinoa sobbed. Ultimecia sent a   
shockwave of anger over to Rinoa.  
*And how do you know what they have done to me?* she seethed. Rinoa didn't answer.   
*They took everything away from me. They ruined my home, my family....they tried to   
force my kind into exile! But they couldn't...for I fought back against their oppression..  
* she said darkly, her voice crackling with malice. Rinoa shuddered inwardly.  
*Please...leave him alone...* she whispered tentatively. Ultimecia smiled bitterly.  
*Oh no,* she hissed. *He is the most important of all...*  
  
*********************************************************************  
Irvine wondered how long he had been in this prison. A day, a week? Perhaps even a   
month, it was hard to tell with the light never changing, the sounds of the prison never   
varying, and the food never once different. The hard bed was the only object in his small cell, he had no weapons.   
Am I waiting here to die? Irvine wondered to himself. Attempted assasination...  
now surely that was a crime to by hung for. But he didn't kill the Sorceress, did he? No, she deflected the bullet...  
A sharp stab of pain pierced his thoughts as he remembered that instant when he realised the Sorceress was unharmed. So overwhelmed with failure, he had never noticed, never cared about the small figure in front of Edea who fell, her arms outstretched as if expecting someone to catch her, her eyes wide open in shock and pain. She must have been his age...yet her life was over. No-one heard her fall, no-one noticed her blood or whimper of agony. Not one of the cheering, screaming, jostling crowd noticed the girl as she begged for help with her last breath. It was a thought that tortured Irvine.   
The fact that she was innocent. He had, of course, had qualms about killing the   
Sorceress herself. But after all, she was a murderer. But her young apprentice...Irvine   
sighed. Thinking about it was too terrible, better to pretend there was no Sorceress, no   
dead girl. No tiara lying discarded at the foot of the float, no mourning parents. Just nothing.  
  
  
For those who began reading my story back in July 2000, I am very sorry about the delay in the release of this part. Now I?ve been able to settle back into school, I can think about writing again?and hopefully this will be finished by May at the latest. Thank you for   
reading, and to those who wrote to encourage me to finish, the rest of this fic is dedicated to you =)  
  
Selphie  
  
  



End file.
